Light in the Darkness
by girlinblue17
Summary: It's been two years since Jill's apparent death. How has this affected Chris, and what will he encounter in his Kijuju mission? Chris/Jill. Loosely based on RE5 plot, so it contains a lot of RE spoilers. Rated M for content.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Their mouths fused, clinging to each other. She hung tightly to his neck as his mouth devoured hers, letting his tongue slide in and taste her. He groaned deep in his throat as her own tongue met his, stroking and fencing with his own. They separated briefly to pull off each other's shirts, and then their mouths met again, harder, more passionate. She tore her mouth away and trailed kisses on his throat, causing him to groan again. His hands drifted to her chest, and one even dared to go lower, going to the waistband of her pants. Gasping, she leaned into him, creating even more physical contact. Feverishly, they shed off the rest of their clothing. Moving as one, they stumbled backward, landing hard on the couch, him on top of her. He nipped at her neck, and she grasped his hair, pulling him even closer to her. Defying her, his mouth slid lower, exploring the same areas his hands had previously delighted in, causing her to groan even louder. He was about to reach the area he delighted in when he was suddenly interrupted by a loud noise.

---

Chris Redfield was awakened rudely by the sound of a ringing doorbell. He cursed as he got up, muttering angrily about the person who dared tear him away from his dreams, the only place he saw as his refuge for the past two years. He marched to the door and peeked at the eyehole, scowling even more when he saw the shock of red hair. He threw the door open, scowling at the person on his doorstep.

"What do you want?" he growled.

"Well, hello to you too," Claire Redfield said, quirking an eyebrow. "Love to see my brother is still as cheerful as always." She brushed past him and went inside his apartment, ignoring his angry sputtering. When she spied the bags at the corner, her eyes narrowed, and she pivoted to confront her brother. "It's true, then. You're leaving," she said flatly.

"What? I'm not allowed to do my job now?" Chris asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He glared down at his sister, who refused to be cowed by her brother's scowl. Years of living together had taught her that backing down will automatically grant him victory, and she wasn't about to let that happen. Redfield faced against Redfield, until finally, Chris exhaled and leaned against the wall. "What do you want, Claire?"

"I'm just checking up on my big brother," she said simply. "I guess the rumors were true. You are leaving for a mission," she said, indicating his bags, and then added sadly, "and you didn't even bother telling your sister."

Chris groaned out. "It's just going to be a routine exploratory mission, Claire," he tried to sound as reasonable as he could.

"That's not what Leon told me."

Immediately, Chris's frown returned. "Have you two been keeping tabs on me?"

"Don't blame him, it's all me," Claire immediately responded. "Look, I'm worried about you. You haven't been talking to me, ever since…" She immediately stopped talking, and looked almost apologetic as she looked at Chris.

Chris fought back the wince of pain. He knew what she was referring to, of course. "Don't worry about me," he said, refusing to acknowledge what Claire just said. "I'm going to be alright. I'll only be in Africa for two weeks, at most. There are rumors about a town being barricaded by the local authorities, and initial scouting missions have shown that Tricell might be involved in this."

Claire's face darkened as she heard the company's name. Of course, Tricell. After buying all shares of Wilpharma, the company was immediately recognized as the successor of the fallen Umbrella Corporation of the pharmaceutical industry. BSAA suspected that wasn't the only thing Tricell followed from Umbrella though: they're also rumored to be the biggest BOW distributor in the black market. Nevertheless, Claire attempted to fulfill the mission she set out to do. "Chris, I know that these corporations have to be stopped. Hell, I've seen firsthand what they could do. But… Don't you think it's time for you to slow down a little?"

Chris looked at Claire incredulously. "Slow down? As we speak, hundreds, maybe even thousands of biological weapons are being created around the world! If I don't do something about it, who will?"

"There are other BSAA agents," Claire said quietly.

"But none have more experience than me," Chris said stubbornly, his jaw set.

"But that's the point, Chris!" Claire cried. "They couldn't have more experience than you because you volunteered in just about every damn mission handed to BSAA! One minute you're in Thailand, the next Germany. You have to stop doing this to yourself! What you're doing won't bring Jill back!"

Silence followed her pronouncement. It was a long time since Jill Valentine's name has been mentioned. Two years to be exact, when they buried her coffin at the New Raccoon City cemetery.

Chris's jaw locked when he heard Claire's words. For a second, she thought he was going to start yelling at her. She swore at herself for being so insensitive. She knew how much it hurts her brother to hear Jill's name.

Chris took a few deep breaths to calm down. When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet, too quiet. "Maybe it won't, but at least it would keep people from having the same fate as her."

"I'm sorry, Chris," Claire murmured, reaching out a hand to touch her brother's arm. "That was a stupid thing to say."

"Forget it," Chris said shortly. "I know you didn't mean for it to come out that way."

"I just… I miss her so much," Claire said, collapsing on the couch, her head in her hands, trying desperately to stem the tears that started falling. After Chris introduced Claire and Jill to each other, the two instantly hit it off. Jill saw Claire as the sister she never had, and Claire was delighted to meet the girl who's brought so much happiness in her brother's life.

Chris slowly sat down beside her. "I know. I miss her too, so damn much," Chris's unwilling admission was low, his voice thick. Claire looked over to her brother, and saw that his shoulders were hunched, his head bowed. "That's why I'm doing all these… for her."

"Jill wouldn't have wanted you to kill yourself out of exhaustion," Claire said quietly.

"I… We made each other a promise, back at the Spencer mansion." His voice was barely a whisper. Claire had to strain her ears to hear her brother's words. "While we're in the chopper, we said to each other that we'll do anything it takes to see to it that the mansion incident will never happen again. I'm going to fulfill that promise. It's the least I can do for her… for Jill."

At these words, Claire knew that she would never be able to persuade Chris to ease up, so she compromised, and said instead, "Just promise me this, okay? Promise you'll get back home safe. I don't want to lose my only family."

Chris gave her a crooked grin. "There's still Leon," he teased.

Claire smiled back. This was the first time since the incident that he showed any form of lightheartedness, and she was glad. "Oh, he's around, but as they say, blood is thicker than water. You have to promise me this, alright?"

Chris gave her a one-armed hug. "I promise," he said sincerely. For all her toughness, Claire was still a softie. He wouldn't let his sister hurt more than she already had. "Now how about giving me a ride to the base?"

xxx

And I'm back! Sorry for the long hiatus. I promised this story two months ago, and I'm only writing it now, when RE 5's going to be released in a little over a week's time. Eek. Anyway, hope you like this. It's going to be a bit different from "Answered Questions" (heh, introductory paragraph of this story shows it!), but I still hope you'll enjoy reading this, even if the plot would end up completely different from the canon story of RE 5. I have an idea where to take this story, but I haven't written it down yet. One thing I can say for sure is that this will definitely be non-linear: expect a lot of flashbacks, and maybe even dreams and hallucinations.

Cheers!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter II**

"Hey, looks like they were able to capture that Coen guy," Jill said, reading from the newspaper in her hands.

"Coen? You mean the Marine? Wasn't he the one accused of killing some villagers or something?" Barry said, tiredly peering over his coffee cup. It was a few weeks since they all were recruited into STARS, and while some of them had previously come from other law enforcement agencies, the training they had to go through was grueling, both mentally and physically. Already, Kevin Ryman, an RPD officer, had dropped out of the program, claiming that he didn't sign up to get his butt kicked. The other trainees who stayed behind are now hanging out at their makeshift office, taking a rest before heading home.

"I remember hearing about him," Enrico Marini said, thoughtfully perching his chin on one hand. "From the rumors going around, the guy wasn't given a fair trial."

"And then escapes after a few days of being thrown in the slammer," Richard Aiken volunteered. "He's definitely going to be executed now, even if he did kill those people or not."

"If that's true, poor guy," Jill murmured. "Even if he did take part of it, I can't believe anyone would be executed just like that."

"He deserves it," Chris interrupted. Jill looked at him in surprise. She'd obviously forgotten he was still there. He had been grouchy the entire day, and this was the first time he'd spoken since they got in the room.

"What do you mean?" Jill asked quizzically. "Everyone deserves a fair trial. He…"

"If you ask me, all of these criminals should just be executed. They bring nothing but harm to the rest of the community," Chris interrupted.

"It's a good thing I'm not asking then," Jill replied, her tone cold. She was evidently furious, to the point that she'd forgotten there were other people in the room. "Has it ever occurred to you that some of those 'criminals'," she spit out, emphasizing the last word, "are actually innocent? Or that they might not have done those things on purpose?"

"Does intent even matter? The bottom line is, they screwed up, and they deserve to be punished for what they did," Chris retorted. He knew his initial reaction was harsh, but he didn't expect a verbal attack from Jill. They'd gotten along relatively well, and he'd be a fool not to admit that he found her attractive, so the clash wasn't something he expected.

Well, you know what, you…" Jill started to answer, but was interrupted by the door swinging and the STARS' captain, Albert Wesker, walked in.

"I'm glad to see you're all here," Wesker said, glancing around the room. "Valentine, Redfield, enough of that. That's no way to treat your partner," he said, and watched with satisfaction as horror appeared on the faces of his recruits.

"Partner?" Jill practically yelped.

"Yes, Ms. Valentine, partner. I'm sure you know the meaning of the word," Wesker said smoothly. "Congratulations to all of you, you've all made it to the STARS team. You'll be divided into two groups, which will be composed of three sets of partners."

"Cool! A buddy system!" Joseph Frost cheered, but sobered immediately when Wesker turned to him.

"As I was saying, Burton, you'll be working with Vickers, Frost, you'll be working with me," Wesker said these words slowly, not taking his eyes off Joseph, who gulped. "We'll be the Alpha team. For the Bravo team…" As he droned on, Jill threw a glare at Chris, and then moved to the other side of the room, as far away from him as possible.

Chris nudged Barry. "What's her problem?" He whispered, nudging his head in Jill's direction.

"What?" Barry then saw who Chris was referring to. "Oh. Chris, I think you owe Jill an apology," he said, shaking his head.

"What do you mean? She's the one who nearly bit my head off," he said, his tone irritated.

"You mean you don't know?" Barry asked, surprised. When Chris shook his head, bemused, Barry continued. "Oh, that's right. You haven't been in Raccoon that long. See, Jill's dad was a thief. He was caught by the RPD a few months' back, around the same time that Jill just got back from the Delta force. Caused an uproar too. There were some people who protested against her being part of the squad, not only because she's a girl, but also because of her history. She proved them wrong almost immediately."

So that's why Jill reacted so violently! Chris cursed at himself for being insensitive. "Damn, I screwed up," he muttered.

"Yeah, you did," Barry said bluntly. "Better apologize before this gets bigger, not only between you two, but it might jeopardize missions if the partners aren't working well."

"Yeah, I will," Chris said, but looking at how Jill glared at him with her jaw set, he realized it wouldn't be easy.

---

Here's Chapter II for you! I know it's super short, but it seems better to cut it here instead of plowing through with the next section I've planned out.

Yes, it's a flashback scene (the next one will be too). I'm just laying down some groundwork to show how the two work together (and also because this scene has played in my head way too many times, and I had to put it down on paper or go nuts)

Oh, and yeah, I tweaked with the canon. Billy has never attempted to escape from jail, Joseph was originally from the Bravo team, and Kevin Ryman never dropped out of the program (he actually failed twice, but that's a different story).

Anyway, R&R, please.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter III**

The brunette sauntered in the room, and for a few seconds, the sound faltered in the usually noisy room. Even with the slightly bulky jacket she was wearing, she was stunning. Heads turned, for men to get a better look at the girl, and for the women, to look for something to criticize about her. She herself paid them no mind, either because she was oblivious to the attention she was getting, or she was so used to it that she simply ignored them. Whatever the case, she moved on forward, a scowl marring her otherwise pretty face, and gradually, the noise resumed.

"This better be the right place," Jill murmured softly.

"Relax, Jill." Brad Vickers's voice was heard from the small clip in her ear. "Alvarez should be sitting at one of the nooks of the bar. He should be easy to spot: it's the area with the bodyguards and the women."

"Better be careful, Jill," Barry cautioned, speaking from his own mouthpiece. He and Brad were in a surveillance van less than a block from where Jill was. "We don't know for sure if they've got the hostage with them in the bar. If anything goes wrong…"

"I know, I know, you guys are there to back me up," Jill said, a hint of annoyance in her voice. The tension was making her irritable. "I was there in the briefing too. I know Captain Wesker's here somewhere."

Barry chuckled. "Okay, just making sure everything's fine there. And you're forgetting Chris. Your partner's also got your back, you know." Jill's snort could be heard loudly on the receiver, earning another chuckle from Barry and Brad.

Chris scowled. He was also wearing an earpiece, and heard the entire exchange. Jill was clearly still pissed off at him. There was no time for him to apologize to her, because after the designation of partners and teams, Wesker had already assigned them their first mission. Alvarez, a drug dealer who allegedly turned into a kidnapper, was known for his love of women, and Jill was the only viable choice to go undercover in the mission. Her task was to reach Alvarez, and if that failed, to check the rooms of the bar, which was owned by Alvarez's brother, to see if the kidnapped girl was there. He resisted the urge to retort to the snort, and instead sat on the only unoccupied stool by the bar. The woman on the right immediately noticed him and proceeded to catch his attention, batting her eyelashes at him, but he paid her no mind. After a few moments of being ignored, the girl followed Chris's stare, and hurmphed. She stomped off, but he didn't notice. His eyes were only on Jill, who had already managed to reach Alvarez and had proceeded to flirt with him.

Alvarez noticed Chris staring at Jill, and he grinned at the girl. "Is he your boyfriend?"

Jill turned around, and saw Chris scowling as he looked at them. _Way to be subtle, Redfield, _she thought, groaning mentally. Aloud, she improvised, "Ex. I broke up with him because he's too possessive… and boring," she added, giving Alvarez a look.

Alvarez was anything but stupid. He saw the invitation in Jill's eyes and grinned. "I can give you a bit of fun," he said suggestively, holding a hand to her, which Jill took. As he led her away to one of the rooms, she gave a slight nod to Chris. She had no backup, but she felt she could take on the challenge. _After all, _she reasoned, while giving Alvarez a flirtatious smile, _what could go wrong?_

_Shit! This isn't how I planned this at all! _Jill thought to herself, as she fired at one of Alvarez's henchmen.

"What the hell were you thinking, Valentine?" Chris groaned out as he exchanged bullets with another lackey, neatly disabling him with a well-placed bullet on the kneecap.

"Yeah, well, the important thing is we got the hostage out, right?" Jill snapped, as she ducked behind the counter that served as Chris's and her cover. "I could've handled it better, but you had to be all macho and come crashing in!"

"What was I supposed to think?" Chris retorted. "You suddenly disappear, and you expect your partner not to panic?"

Jill snorted again. "I nodded at you," she muttered, as she tried to aim for the guy who was firing at her. There were only around three henchmen around, by Jill's estimation. Wesker had chased after Alvarez when the mayhem ensued, leaving her and Chris to handle the others. As much as she hated to admit it, she and he worked well together, and she couldn't help but admire how good he was with a gun. She was a fair shot, but she could identify a marksman when she saw one.

Chris looked at her incredulously. "You nodded at me? What do you think I am, a nod expert? How should I know what a fucking nod means?" He moved off to the side and fired, catching another guy, and then standing up, straightening his clothes. "I guess that's all of them. Remember, you owe me and…"

Suddenly, he heard a gunshot, and twisting around, he saw Jill with her gun out, still aimed at a guy who was writhing on the floor, his thigh bleeding. He had dropped his gun in his pain, but Chris's blood froze to see that it was in his direction. "Correction: you owe me," Jill said with a certain satisfaction.

"Well, if I didn't save your butt back there, you wouldn't even be here right now," Chris argued.

"My butt didn't need saving, you moron. I was doing fine when you.."

"Oh, I never knew that having a guy grope at you is the new definition of 'fine'."

Jill's cheeks flamed at Chris's remark. "I could've handled it," she said furiously. "I know how to handle guys, I didn't you to go charging in with guns blazing and… What the heck are you laughing at?" Jill snapped.

Chris couldn't help it. The mental image of a guy accosting Jill and him charging in armed to the teeth struck him as funny. Before he knew it, he was guffawing. Jill looked annoyed at first, and then reluctantly, a smile formed, and then she started laughing with him.

"I'm glad you two are having fun," a voice filled with irony suddenly interrupted them. Turning around, they saw Wesker, still in his trademark sunglasses, cuffing a bloody Alvarez. "Before you two hyenas started laughing your heads off, did you even bother calling the ambulance to have these idiots checked in?"

The smirks were wiped off Chris and Jill's faces. It was standard protocol not only for them to call for backup, but also to ask for an ambulance in case of emergencies. Forgetting something as basic as that could have serious repercussions on their careers.

"We have," Barry said briskly, stepping in the room with Brad and the paramedics close at his heels. He turned around and gave a wink at Jill and Chris, who both sighed in relief.

Wesker frowned at Barry, but let it pass. "You two are dismissed," he said to Chris and Jill, waving one hand.

Chris was shocked. "Dismissed? But sir, if there's anyone that should be dismissed, it's me. Jill was only…"

Wesker turned his head to Chris. "I meant, Redfield, you two are free to go."

Chris grinned sheepishly, and Jill couldn't help smiling herself. "Yes, sir," they said in unison. As they walked away, Wesker gave a parting shot. "I can't promise you the same definition of something like this happens again."

When they stepped out of the bar, the two burst out laughing again. When they calmed down, Chris looked at Jill, smiling. "You need a ride, partner?"

Jill looked as though she was about to refuse, but then she smiled too. "Sure, why not? I live at the corner of Pine and Evergreen," she said, following Chris to his car.

When they were driving, Chris spoke again. "Hey, Jill. I never got to apologize over what I said. I'm sorry, I didn't know about your dad and…" He paused awkwardly.

"It's okay. I guess I shouldn't be oversensitive about it too," Jill said, dismissing his apology.

"I guess I have to explain. I'm not usually that crass, but you see, my parents were killed by a guy who was DUI, and he ended up walking free because he had a good lawyer." As he spoke, Chris's hands tightened on the steering wheel, something that Jill noticed.

"You don't have to explain, Chris," Jill said softly. "I talked to Barry about it, and he told me about what happened to your parents."

Chris's mouth quirked. "So you talk to Barry about me, huh?" He said, giving Jill a sly glance.

Jill's cheeks immediately flamed. "You wish!" She sputtered. "I was only asking why you were such a jerk and…"

Chris laughed. "Relax, Jill. I was only teasing," he said, still wearing a slight grin. "Oh, and don't forget, you owe me."

"Hah! It's the other way around: you owe me!" Jill replied, laughing as well.

Without them knowing it, that night set the stage of their relationship. It was an inside joke between them on who owes whom, but they also carried it on to practice, whether on or off the battlefield. Chris knew Jill would always serve as his backup, and she was also confident that her partner would be there to cover for her. It certainly made them get each other's backs, initially for fear that one would have one over the other, but eventually, it became something else. Something deeper.

---

"Chris, wake up." Chris roused from his sleep slowly, feeling the slight nudge on his shoulder. Blinking a few times, his eyes finally focused on his seatmate. Josh Stone, Delta Commander of the West African Division. "Strap your seatbelt, we're about to land in Kijuju."

xxx

I know, I know, the ending of the flashback scene was pretty corny, but I didn't know how to end it. Actually, I didn't really like the last two chapters, but I think they're a necessary evil, since they set the stage on how and why Chris and Jill became effective and close partners. The next chapters will be exciting (at least, I hope so!) since it's set on RE5 setting already. As always, R&R please.:)


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter IV**

Spoiler alert! Spoiler alert! If you don't like some parts of the story spoiled for you (I'm not going to tell you which sections, but it's better to be safe), then I suggest you stop reading. Well, not really stop, I'd still love it if you continue reading, but maybe you should put off reading the story first, at least, until you play the game.

Still reading? Don't say I didn't warn you.

xxx

"Chris, this is Sheva Alomar. She'll be your partner for this mission," Josh introduced the two.

"Chris Redfield," Chris said, unsmiling, as he shook the girl's hand. He knew about her, of course. He'd done his background check before he headed off to Kijuju. Sheva had lost her entire family to the biological warfare. Her parents had died in what appeared to be a freak accident when she was young, and her brothers had gone missing. It was only when she had done her research that she discovered that her parents had been working in a Tricell factory, and somehow, contamination had occurred and taken the lives of all the workers there. Her brothers' fate was much worse: they were abducted by Tricell itself for God knows what reason. Chris had protested vehemently when he was told he would be assigned a partner for the mission. After Jill's demise, he had preferred to work alone, or with a team, but never again with just one person. No one could take _her_ place.

"Sheva Alomar," she replied, returning the handshake. She knew about him too. Who didn't? The most decorated member of the BSAA, having gone through more missions than the next two top members', combined. His partnership with Jill Valentine had been BSAA legend. Together, he and his partner were able to almost single-handedly take down Umbrella Corporation, then the biggest pharmaceutical-slash-bioweapons factory in the world. They had then set their sights on other suspicious companies, but before they were able to accomplish as much, Jill Valentine had perished away on a mission. Sheva didn't know the full details, and she wasn't about to ask the stone-faced man assigned as her new partner. "I trust you've been briefed about what's happening here. Shall we go?"

xxx

It had been six hours since his introduction to Sheva. Since then, the simple reconnaissance that they were supposed to do had gone horribly wrong. They had tackled several of the infected, similar to the Ganados in the Kennedy report. There were subtle differences, of course. For starters, the plague-ridden were called the Majini, and the infection rate seemed to be bigger and faster than the effects of the Los Plagas. Chris and Sheva had been forced to fight off a herd of the infected, a combination of people and animals. Two of their BSAA teammates had already perished, one gored to death by a goat, and the other thrown off their ship by a gigantic sea monster, the one they called the Leviathan. It had taken the combined efforts of all the BSAA members to take the thing down and to prevent any more casualties, but at a high cost: a lot of their ammo had been wasted: some were shot needlessly at Leviathan, while some more were thrown off the ship in the struggle. Chris stood off on one side. He had manned the machine gun equipped on the ship that was instrumental to the defeat of the sea monster. It required both strength and skill to operate it, and he was exhausted from the effort, but he wasn't about to let the others know that.

"We know a weapons dealer here, Ricardo Irving," Dan De Chant, Alpha team leader of the BSAA, was saying to Josh Stone, who was tending to a huge cut on his upper arm. "If we contact him, we might be able to get even just a few ammo for the team."

"I'm guessing he's operating on the black market?" Stone asked shrewdly. At De Chant's nod, he asked, "Can he be trusted?", his tone dubious.

"Absolutely," De Chant said confidently. "Some of my men have traded with this guy. He's… a little disturbing, but we can get what we want from him."

"Let's head off to where he is, then," and in so saying, Stone and De Chant headed over to the ship's captain to give the directions.

Chris listened to their conversation with half an ear. Tiredness had taken over him. _I'll rest my eyes just for a few minutes. _

---

"Ready?" Jill asked him.

They had gotten a major tip from one of their sources. Ozwell Spencer, the only remaining founder of Umbrella who was still alive. If they could get a hold of him, they would be able to get hold of a lot of vital information, not only of the bioweapons research the company has been making, but also the contacts they have to the various agencies and corporations all over the world.

"Ready when you are, partner," Chris said, grinning at her, who grinned back. "Oh, and before I forget…" Chris pulled Jill to him and planted a swift kiss on her lips.

"What was that for?" Jill asked, dazed.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Valentine," he said, with a boyish grin.

Jill shook her head, smiling slightly. Ever since they got together, Chris would say the same thing, and even though Jill acted as though she found his line corny, he knew she loved it, if the twinkle in her eye was any indication.

"Quit goofing off," Jill told him, still smiling.

"I have so many things to tell you, Jill, and…"

"You can tell her later, loverboy. Focus on the mission first," the voice on their headsets said drolly.

The two of them blushed and pulled away. Trust someone to go and interrupt them.

"We'll talk later," Chris promised. "Ready?"

Jill took a deep breath, and then nodded. "As I'll ever be." They kicked down the door and entered the house, Chris first, guns held in front of them. A few seconds later and they entered a huge room. A large window was at the side, giving the house a church feel. The view showed that they were on the side of a cliff, with the area surrounded by mountains. On the other side of the room was a mahogany table, and beyond that, an enormous armchair, its back turned on them.

"Ozwell Spencer?" The two cautiously approached the table, their guns still at the ready. "If you come along with us quietly, we promise you won't get hurt," Chris said, his tone authoritative. No response. Chris gave a puzzled glance to Jill, who nodded and stood off to the side, poised to shoot. Chris then headed off to the chair and turned it around.

On it was an obviously dead old man, a gaping hole in his chest.

"I'm sorry, but you're too late to meet poor Ozwell Spencer."

The two of them pivoted, and saw the unmistakable black-clad form standing in between the distance separating Chris and Jill.

"Wesker," Chris growled out.

Wesker gave a cold smile. "The one and the same. Did you two miss me? Here we are, my two finest STARS operatives. Really, you two should thank me. If not for me, you two wouldn't even be together." He looked at Jill then. "We last met at the Spencer Mansion, wasn't it? How are you doing, Jill? I heard Raccoon City didn't agree with you," he mocked, laughing softly.

"You can go to hell, Wesker," Jill said tightly, loading the chamber of her gun. The act made a load clicking sound in the room.

"Oh, but I've already been there and back, Jill, thanks to you and your partner," Wesker snarled. "Because of you two, I was forced to change my plans." With lightning speed, Wesker suddenly had Jill by the throat, lifting him a foot off the floor. "But not anymore," he said cruelly.

"Let her go!" Chris yelled, raising his gun.

"Uh uh uh," Wesker said mockingly, wagging one finger at him. "You wouldn't dare risk shooting your beloved Ms. Valentine, are you?"

"The thing is, I don't have to," Chris said, his tone deceptively quiet, and lifting his gun in one smooth motion, he fired.

The bullet went straight to Wesker's shoulder. "Ah!" The blond man exclaimed, more out of surprise than pain. It was all that Jill needed. She wiggled out of Wesker's grasp and sprinted on the other side of the room, firing at her former captain. At the same time, Chris ran to the opposite end, shooting with his own gun.

It was as though they never even made an effort. Wesker effortlessly dodged the bullets, a black blur moving from one corner of the room to the other. All the while, he taunted them. "Is that all you could do? Did you really expect to avenge your friends' deaths by doing this? Our efforts are useless." Another black flash, and suddenly, it was Chris who was being choked by Wesker.

"To think, Claire would lose another family member," Wesker sneered at Chris. "I would've wanted to keep you as a specimen, Christopher. You would have been a good source of battle data, but as it were, killing you would prove just as satisfactory." He lifted Chris higher.

"Not while I'm still alive," Jill snarled, and tackled Wesker, crashing through the glass of the large picture window and falling.

As Chris watched in shock, Jill gave him an almost peaceful smile and mouthed, "You owe me," before plunging into the darkness.

xxx

And there's Chapter 4 for you! For those who've continued to read this even with the warning, thank you (and I hope you leave your reviews, too :P)! You might've noticed, but I'm trying to put a flashback scene in each of the chapters, just so we'll know what thoughts are running in Chris's head as he goes off on Kijuju. If you also noticed (if you're a spoilerific person like me), I'm changing a lot/a little (depending on how the game works, I actually haven't played it yet, but I watched the videos on YouTube) of the details, so you may or may not see all the characters within the game itself. I'll try, of course, but I can't promise they'll reflect the personalities of the guys in-game, since I haven't "met" them yet. The story structure's becoming even clearer to me now, but it's going a bit off-tangent with how the game went, but that's perfectly fine, as this is a fanfic, of course.:p Anyway, I hope you like it.:) R&R please, so I'll know if the story's worth continuing or I'm not making sense or whatever.

Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry for the late update. School's been getting crazy again, so I couldn't write the new chapter as early as I wanted. This one's pretty short, but the cut makes sense here, instead of extending the chapter to a really long one that's quite dragging to read.

Anyway, before you read on, a few things. First, I've edited Chapter IV. One's minor, the other's pretty major (especially if you're a Chris/Jill fan!), so I do hope you get to check that out first, because I'll be referring to that new scene addition in a later chapter. Second, I'd like to bend my own rules a little and give shout-outs to the people who've reviewed my story so far (see how much I love you guys? I've broken my own rule of thanking people at the end of my story!:p) Actually, there were comments and points made that are definitely worth replying to, so here ya go! Thanks for the R&R!

John234: Thanks for letting me know the difference between the machine and submachine gun. Obviously, I know zilch about guns (except what I know from RE), so getting help on this department is always welcome. The chapter has been edited according to what you

30 Seconds to YOUR MOM: I know what you mean! I actually debated with myself if I should make the tweaks to the story because they're not really canon, but I thought, to heck with it, this is my story, and I'm going to mess with it any way that I want!XD

HoboHunter: Nice meeting a fellow spoiler-loving I added another Cleon scene here just for

Afro Spirit: Yep, Kevin's the one from Outbreak. I couldn't resist putting him in, just so I can have a familiar name to use instead of coming up with a completely background-less name.

Jill Hawkins: Yep! I love spoilers, so when I heard they released the cutscenes on YouTube, I couldn't help myself! I had to check 'em out!

J.L. Zielesch: Thanks for reading! Glad to have you checking out my new story.:)

Raidenlover 6, ladyweasel, and C. Redfield 86: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! Hope you like the next chapters as well.

Onwards to the new chapter!

**Chapter V**

Chris didn't feel himself crashing down on the floor, didn't realize how long he stayed there, kneeling. It could have been days, months. All he knew was he would have stayed on the same spot had not the rest of the BSAA team followed and forcibly pulled him up and brought him out of that place.

No trace was found on the rocks below the house. No blood, no trace evidence, nothing. The only thing that indicated that the fall happened was the shattered fragments of the glass, and these didn't reveal anything. It took almost a year before he finally snapped out of his shock and grief, and started focusing on revenge. Chris Redfield became hell-bent on pursuing all the bioweapons organizations all over the world. At the merest whisper of unknown experiments in an area, he would immediately fly off there, guns blazing. If he wasn't off to a mission, he would be doing research about suspicious companies or working out, yet both acts are still connected with his goal. Some say he had gone mad in his grief, others say he was avenging the fall of his comrade and lover. All of them agree that he had thrown all care for his own life out the window, the same one where Jill and Wesker fell through.

Xxx

Sheva looked down at her partner. She knew what grief was about, it's what pushed her to join the BSAA in the first place. Yet even she could tell a man who was on a suicide mission. Chris had shown no concern for his safety when they were fighting against the Majini, merely charging in and clinically shooting them down, and then gesturing impatiently for her to follow him. Even the presence of those huge eyeless shiny monsters didn't faze him. He simply pulled out the shotgun on his back and fired off two rounds at the first one, and then finishing it by pulling out his machete and slitting at where the throat should be.

"Lickers," he threw at her over his shoulder. "Watch out for their tongues, they're as sharp as knives," before firing off at the second one.

Sheva knew what Chris was fighting for. She knew what pushed him to go and fight this much and this hard, but she knew that if he continued to be as reckless as he was, he would get the team killed. For now, though, she would follow his command. The man was a formidable fighter, she would give him that, and he definitely knew what he was fighting against.

She walked over to him, and nudged him lightly with her boot. "Chris," she called softly.

Chris slowly stirred. "Jill?" he whispered, confused. When his vision cleared of sleep, though, he realized it was a different partner he was working with. "Sheva. Where are we?"

Sheva gave him a pitying look. "We're almost there. Get ready."

It was noontime, if the burning sun at the top of their heads was any indication. Chris shook his head, trying to clear it from the feeling of dizziness.

_"It was Mrs. White with the candlestick in the library!" Claire crowed triumphantly. _

_"She's right!" Leon said, and promptly gave Claire a hug and a peck on the cheek. "That's my girl!"_

_"Not in front of the brother, please," Chris begged, playfully putting on a pained look. _

_"You're just jealous I won and you didn't," Claire retorted, sticking out her tongue at Chris. _

_"Jealous? Why should I?" Chris retorted, and swung an arm around Jill. "Why are we playing 'Clue' again?" He asked his girlfriend. It was a Friday night, and instead of their usual movie night with Claire and Leon, Jill had insisted they stay at home instead. _

_"Because playing board games is what a normal family does," Jill said, as she collected the discarded cards on the table._

_"'Bored' is right," Chris muttered, earning him a death glare from Jill. "I'm kidding!" Chris hastily added, holding his arms forward to prevent his face from getting hit by the pillow Jill whacked at him. "So we're a family, huh?" _

_Jill immediately dropped the hand wielding the pillow and blushed slightly. "Well, maybe not in the traditional sense, but…" _

_"Not yet."_

_"What?"_

_"We're not a traditional family… yet," Chris said, and grinned at Jill's deepening blush. _

_"_Chris! Pay attention!" Sheva snapped at him.

Chris shook his head. The heat was getting to him. It was a good thing there weren't any Majini or God only knew what creatures haunted this place, otherwise, he would have had his head swiped off his neck. He started jogging again, in the direction of the other BSAA members. Suddenly, he whipped off to the side, pistol drawn.

"What is it?" Sheva immediately asked, her own gun raised.

Chris thought he'd seen a flash of movement at the corner of his eye. When he'd turned around, his eyes met a flash of blue. _The same color as Jill's eyes, _Chris thought in surprise. However, when he blinked, there was nothing there. Just the same houses dotted around the area. "Nothing," he muttered. _It's just the heat getting to me. _"Come on, we're getting left behind."

Sheva shook her head in frustration at Chris, and followed him.

Stone gestured to Chris and Sheva as they approached, signaling that they stay at his back. He and De Chant were standing at the side of a house, a bit larger than the others. Ricardo Irving's house, no doubt. De Chant gave them a questioning look, and when Stone nodded, he swiftly opened the door beside him, with the other three at his flank. What they saw wasn't what they expected.

A dark-cloaked figure hovered over the still, obviously dead form of Ricardo Irving.

"Freeze!" Stone yelled immediately, his gun at the ready. At the sound of the voice, the cloaked figure gave a start, and immediately took off. Chris immediately took chase, sprinting off after the person.

Chris barely heard the shouts of surprise from the other people. He followed the form to a dark corridor. He heard a slight clatter, and caution advised him to take out his pistol, and he did so, but the few seconds of losing sight of the mysterious figure was costly. When he looked around, the person was gone.

"Dammit!" He swore softly. He was about to turn around when he spotted something on the ground. Bending down, he picked it up. _That person must've dropped it, _Chris thought, remembering the clatter. It was a large hunting knife in a worn old sheath. Chris brought to his face to examine it, and froze.

The others had run after him. "What kind of a stupid stunt was that, Redfield?" Sheva hissed, furious. "Running off without backup was careless and stupid!"

Stone nodded. "Redfield, if you pull something like that again, we'll have to pull you out of the mission. You're endangering not only your life, but your teammates as well."

"What do you have in your hands?" De Chant suddenly asked, noticing what Chris was holding.

"Was this dropped by that hooded guy?" Sheva asked sharply. "Could be clue. We could run a search on the owner of this knife. It might point us who the killer of Irving is."

"That wouldn't be necessary," Chris said, shaking out of his reverie.

"Why not?"

"Because the knife's mine."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter VI**

"What the hell are you playing at, Redfield?" De Chant snarled at him.

"I'm not playing any games, sir. This knife's mine. I accidentally dropped it when I was chasing after that person." To prove his point, Chris pulled the knife out of its sheath. Barely visible on the fading light was the engraving "C. Redfield."

"Never mind that right now," Stone interrupted. "There are a bunch of documents left in the other room. We have to search for clues. Not to mention we need to reload on the ammo. The intruder didn't seem to think that bullets are worth paying attention to, there's a load of 'em left."

As they walked back to the other room, Sheva shot Chris a look, which he pretended not to notice. While his outward appearance remained calm, his thoughts were racing. _What the hell is going on? _

xxx

"I know I shouldn't say this, but I'm kinda glad Irving got killed by that psycho. We wouldn't have this much ammo or info if he was still alive," De Chant said, after a few minutes of searching.

Sheva shot him a look. "I thought you were friends."

"He was our contact," De Chant corrected. "I wouldn't be friends with him even if he was the last guy on earth." He jabbed the paper on his hands. "I always thought there was something off about him, and this proves it."

"You said he was trustworthy," Stone said pointedly.

"In weapons dealing, yeah. I didn't say the same thing when it comes to other matters," he said dismissively.

Stone shook his head, and went back to the pile of papers in front of him.

If Ricardo Irving wasn't alive, he would have faced a lot of charges. The documents showed that he dealt freely and widely in the black market, and his trades weren't limited to weapons, at least, not to the bullets and firearms type. The biological kind was a different matter, though. Documents showing the extensive trading he's done in the industry were littered all over the place. He must have come in contact with Umbrella at some point in his career, if the files were any indication. Some company names were obviously aliases, and still others small fry compared to the bigger organizations. One of the bigger names stood out among the others.

"Tricell," Stone pointed out, jabbing his finger at the name.

De Chant leaned over, and whistled when he read the name Stone was pointing out to. "If that's true, we'll finally have the evidence we need to bust their asses." He grinned widely. "It's about time."

"It wouldn't be easy, though," Stone cautioned. "Even if we have this in our hands, Tricell is a multinational company. They won't go down without a fight."

As they talked, the other two searched the other documents. Suddenly, Sheva's hands stilled.

"What is it?" Chris asked, not looking up from the files he was reading.

Sheva hesitated, and then taking a deep breath, she handled Chris the folder in her hands. "I think you might want to see this."

Giving Sheva a curious look, he took the folder she was offering to him. What he saw made him freeze.

It was another folder containing information of Irving's transactions with Umbrella, but it contained even more details than the file Stone and De Chant has. Inserted among its pages was an image of a woman floating in a stasis tube. The woman was pale and unconscious, her long blond hair swirling around her. That woman was Jill Valentine.

Sheva looked at her partner worriedly. She had debated with herself whether to show Chris the picture, and she was already regretting the decision she made. "Chris?" she asked softly, trying to be as subtle as possible with her two superiors a few feet away from them.

Chris raised his head with a jerk. Sheva half-expected his face to be filled with pain, and was instead to see him with a glint in his eye, an expression that was almost crazed in appearance. He strode abruptly to where Stone and De Chant were standing.

"Sir," he said, addressing Stone, "I'd like to ask for permission to infiltrate Tricell."

"Absolutely not," Stone answered abruptly, his tone cold. "This is more than four people can handle. We have to wait for backup before we go for Tricell."

"You misunderstand me. I'd like to infiltrate Tricell _alone_," Chris replied, his tone equally as cold.

"Are you crazy?" De Chant snapped. "This is our chance to take down Tricell. We can't afford any screw-ups. This is beyond you and your personal problems. You're a good field agent, Redfield, bur don't let your emotions get in the way. Don't take everything personally."

"Don't take it personally?" Chris asked. "I wouldn't be in this fucking organization if I didn't take it personally!" He yelled. He struggled for a few seconds to regain his self-control. When he spoke again, his voice was quiet, but it was chilling in its intensity. "The woman that I love gets killed because of these bastards, and I'm not supposed to take it personally? My sister gets abducted and almost dies, and it's nothing personal? The town I grew up in gets destroyed because of them, and it's not personal? I'm sorry sir, but you're wrong: this is personal." He turned around and headed for the door.

"Where the hell are you going, Redfield?" De Chant blustered. "If you walk out that door, you'll leave us no choice but to relieve you of your position."

Chris tilted his head off to one side to look at De Chant at the corner of his eye, and then he looked straight again. "Then relieve me of my position. I don't give a damn anymore. I quit." He then continued walking and went out the door.

He had walked far from the house when he heard footsteps running to his direction. He looked back once, but didn't slow down, only continued to walk.

"What was that about?" Sheva asked Chris angrily, after she reached him.

"Go back, Sheva," Chris said emotionlessly. "This isn't your fight."

"Oh yeah, it isn't," Sheva sarcastically said. "I only lost my whole family because of these biofreaks. You're not the only one who has a personal stake in this, Chris. I do, too. I'm going with you."

"If you go with me, you'll get fired."

"You should know they didn't accept your resignation. I've already told Stone and De Chant that I'll be keeping an eye on you. They might not like you that much, but the main branch will have their asses if they find out they're the reason why BSAA lost its best agent. Besides," and Sheva smirked for the first time in days, "What will you do for ammunition if you don't have this?"

It was only then that Chris realized that Sheva was carrying around a pack from Irving's hideout, no doubt filled with weapons. He might be good, but with barely enough ammunition, even the greatest marksman in the world would end up in a tight situation, if not dead. "Fine," Chris gave in. "Go with me. We're going to do this my way, though. No unnecessary pit stops, no contacting the others via radio. We do this my way."

"If you say so, boss," Sheva said, smirking again. "But when it comes to direction, I'll lead the way. I know Kijuju like the back of my hand. If I don't take charge of the direction, we'll just end up getting lost."

"Then lead the way," Chris said, gritting his teeth. "But we do this fast."

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go."

xxx

They set off on a steady jog. Chris had to admit Sheva was right. She knew which alleyways to turn, taking the quickest and easiest paths to go around large packs of Majini. That's not to say they didn't have any encounters though. The Majini came from all over: sometimes appearing in front of them, other times smashing out of doors and windows, still others so close at their backs they were almost breathing down their necks, always moving fast, with a deadly glint in their eyes. Unlike the zombies that Chris had gotten accustomed to, these ones wielded weapons, both makeshift and real ones. Already they had been attacked by a gang wielding pitchforks and torches. The biggest surprise they had was when a man, unusually large and his face covered, suddenly appeared out of nowhere, waving a chainsaw madly. It took all of Chris and Sheva's skills to not get torn into pieces as they dashed this way and that, shooting at the mutant, their bullets seemingly not making any impact on the man-creature, until finally, a shot to the forehead caused him to keel forward and fall upon him own chainsaw, spreading blood and guts all over the place.

They were now on opposite sides of the street. Sheva gestured to Chris, and then pointed out two Majini, one carrying a machete and the other a scythe, both appearing to be patrolling the street they were at, their backs turned against the BSAA agents. At Chris's nod, they both crept over behind the two, and swiftly took them down. Their knives glinted with blood in the fading sunlight, as they dropped the Majini and moved forward.

Sheva saw the knife Chris used to slit the throat of the Majini. It was the same one he claimed he had dropped back in Irving's place. There was something odd about his story, but she didn't pursue it. She looked over at her partner, his jaw set, as they moved forward. He moved off to the side and opened one of the houses, his gun aimed forward. He examined the interior quickly, and then motioned for Sheva to come in.

"We rest here," he said abruptly.

Sheva nodded. Even in their haste, they needed to conserve their energy, especially with the heat outside. She sat down on the floor and leaned against the wall, examining the room. Like all the others, it looked like it was trashed. Fragments from plates and glass shards were scattered around the kitchen. A table, broken in two, was lying a few feet away from her. Bits of paper and cloth also lay around the place. Thankfully though, there was no dead body in the house. She hoped that the residents were able to escape from Kijuju before the horror started to happen. Glancing over at Chris, she saw that he had brought the picture from Irving's house and was staring almost absentmindedly at it.

Chris stared at the picture in his hand. _Jill. _He didn't want to have his hopes up, didn't want to feel the pain that struck him when Jill crashed out of the window again. Yet the picture lifted his spirits. If there was even a way for her to have survived that… He had to know. Slowly, he traced a finger across the woman's face. His eyes examined every detail of her, and as they roved down the picture, he couldn't help but respond. The same way he couldn't when they met again.

_"Are you ready?" Claire asked him impishly. _

_"Huh?" Chris asked, his tone distracted._

_Claire snorted. "Obviously not. Look, if Jill's as great as you say she is, she's going to understand. Hell, she'll probably be ecstatic to see you again."_

_"You really think so?" Chris asked nervously, and catching the smirk on Claire's face, he coughed. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said lamely._

_"Too late, I already heard you say it," Claire said gleefully. "Look, I heard your stories about you and Jill. Maybe even a little too much. But if my guess is correct, she's got feelings for you too."_

_"But what if she…"_

_"No buts," Claire said firmly. "Where's the self-confident Chris Redfield I know?"_

_"He's shaking in his boots right now," Chris said drily. _

_"Come on, Chris. She's not going to eat you alive. Now are you going to open the door, or should I? I'm freezing already!" _

_Having no choice, Chris turned the doorknob. He didn't pay any attention to anyone or anything else, he didn't hear Barry's shout of welcome. All of his focus was on the brown-haired woman wearing a dark blue shirt and denim jeans. She was thinner than he remembered, his clothes hanging more loosely on her frame, but she was still as beautiful as ever. And she was looking at him too, her blue eyes wide with disbelief. For a moment, both of them didn't move, and then suddenly, Jill launched herself into Chris's arms. Before he realized what he was doing, his lips were already on hers. Embarrassed, he made a move to pull away, but Jill had other ideas. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her, deepening the kiss. They were hardly aware of the response around them: Barry's knowing chuckle, Rebecca and Claire's gasps of surprise and delight, Carlos's angry growl, Leon's smirk, and Billy's muttered, "Get a room." _

_"I'm sorry," Chris murmured against her lips. _

_"Don't be," Jill answered, before opening her mouth to his. Chris didn't need any further invitation. He picked her up, and opening his eyes for a moment, he made his way to the closest room there was. As the door closed behind them, silence filled the room they just left._

_"Well, I guess they really did get a room, after all," Billy said lamely. _

xxx

I'm guessing you know what's going to happen at the start of the next

As always, R&R please!


	7. Chapter 7

Whoo! Chapter 7 already! I know some of you've already played the game, which effectively makes this story AU, but I hope you're still reading.:P There's definitely lemon in this chapter, so for those who want to avoid this, just don't read the italicized parts.

Hobo hunter! Thanks so much! I'm actually surprised that some of the stuff I've put in my stories (not just this fanfic) actually ended up true. Some parts, I actually know would appear in the game, but there were others that I was surpised I guessed correctly. If my career path doesn't work out, I'll seriously consider being a fortune teller. lol

Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. If some parts are awkward, I'm sorry. My only excuse is that this is my first (and probably only) lemon, so yeah.

As always, please R&R. I love hearing from people what they think of the story so far.:)

**Chapter VII**

_Chris staggered in the room, Jill still in his arms, their mouths still fused together. Nothing else existed for the two except each other. It was only when Chris's mouths descended to her neck that Jill reacted. _

_"What are you doing?" she murmured softly, but not making any move to stop him. _

_"I'm doing what I should've done months ago," Chris said, his mouth planting small kisses on her throat, eliciting a moan from her. "I was a fool then, but I'm not going to make the same mistake this time." He forced himself to tear himself away from Jill. "But I'm not going to do anything until I put down my cards on the table. I don't want any misunderstandings. I love you, Jill Valentine. I only realized it when I almost lost you back in the mansion, but I was stupid enough not to act on it. But now…"_

_"Now…?" Jill prompted._

"_Now I'm willing to risk it. That's why I'm telling you now, what I feel. But if you don't feel the same way, I'll understand. I'll leave this room, and this will be the end of it." Chris held his breath as he waited for Jill's reply. _She has to love me. Her kisses say it, _Chris thought, but willed himself not to add anything else. _

_"What if I don't want it to end?"_

_"What?"_

_Jill giggled softly. "You really can be slow," she murmured softly. "What if I don't want it to end?" She cupped his face in her hands. "I love you too, Chris." And in so saying, she pulled his lips to meet hers again. _

_The moment their lips touched, Chris knew there was no letting go. Not this time. Passion consumed them as their kiss became deeper, hotter, more passionate. In his haste, Chris grabbed her shirt and tore it from her body. _

_Jill chuckled. "That was a new shirt," she murmured softly, but obliged him by stepping out of her torn top. _

_"I'll buy you a new one," Chris replied unsteadily. His hands moved from her shoulders downward, until they cupped her breasts. She moaned again. "Do you know how long I've ached to touch you this way?" He said, his voice raspy. _

_Jill gave a shaky giggle. "Is that all you liked about me?" She teased. She'd snuggled to his neck, nibbling softly, causing Chris to draw breath sharply._

_"No," he quickly denied. Two can play this game. "I love that you're smart," kissing Jill's eyelids, "I love that you're strong," and he kissed her nose, "and I love your courage," he added, going back to her lips. "But I love you for being Jill Valentine. My Jill Valentine," he murmured against her lips. Slowly, he led her to the bed. It was his luck that he led her into a bedroom. There will be hell to pay later, when he finds out whose bedroom this is, but for now, he was thanking all the stars that he entered the correct the room. He gently pushed her down on the bed, before stripping off his clothes and joined her. He wrapped his arms around her, and in a second, unhooked her bra. For a few seconds, he was motionless as he stared at her, and then his eyes darkened and he lifted a trembling hand to cup them again. She arched against him, whimpering slightly at the feel of his callused hands on her sensitive flesh, his fingers lightly stroking her. "You're so beautiful," he murmured softly. Almost without volition, his mouth came and replaced one hand, and he sucked one nipple, his tongue rolling over her skin. His other hand began massaging her other breast, kneading the skin. Jill bucked again. _

"_Chris…" she pleaded, not knowing what she's asking. Her fingers wrapped around his hair, pulling him to her. Her response drove him over the edge, and his free hand fumbled for the clasp on her pants. All the while, his mouth still played havoc on her breasts, first one, then the other. Frustrated with his lack of success, but not willing to remove his mouth off her skin, he started trailing kisses down her breasts to her stomach, her waist, until finally, he reached the waistline of her pants. He pulled off her jeans, and placed a kiss at the small fabric that was revealed, before pulling it off. _

_Jill was breathing shallowly by then, her fingers still locked in his hair. Blindly, she reached for him, her fingers running lightly over his skin, until she found what she was looking for. Chris groaned at the feel of Jill's fingers on his member, and then hissed sharply as she started stroking him. "Please don't do that, Jill," he groaned out. _

"_What?" Jill said, barely aware of what was happening, as her mind became cloudy as desire filled her. Her fingers continued to stroke the entire length of him, reveling in his warmth and feel. _

_With a muffled oath, Chris lifted her hips to him and drove inside her. What he encountered was something he didn't expect. _

"_You're a virgin!" He exclaimed, his startled exclamation drowning out her gasp of pain. "I'm sorry, Jill. Dammit, I can't do this," he groaned out, starting to pull away, when Jill suddenly grabbed him by the hips and pulled him back in. _

"_Chris, don't stop, please," Jill practically begged, and rotated her hips to take him in completely. _

"_Are you sure about this?" Chris asked, his voice tight as he fought for control. _

"_Very, very sure," Jill gasped out. "I want you, Chris. Here. Now." To emphasize her point, Jill nibbled softly on Chris's neck. _

_He started moving, thrusting in and out of her slowly. As he did so, he took her mouth in his, reassuring her. When Jill groaned and wrapped her arms around his again, he started moving faster, his thrusts becoming quick and short. She went with him all the way, her hips matching his motions. A few more pushes, and he gasped out her name, collapsing with his face between her breasts. Her whispered exclamation of his name told him she reached her climax the same time he did. They took several moments to catch their breath and take in what just happened. Finally, Chris rolled off her and leaned on one elbow. _

"_Why didn't you tell me?" He asked softly. When Jill attempted to cover her face with a pillow, Chris gently brushed it aside and cupped her face with one hand. "Jill, look at me. Why didn't you say something earlier?"_

"_I was afraid," she whispered._

"_Afraid of what?" _

"_Afraid that I might disappoint you." _

_Chris groaned and pulled her to his side, hugging her tightly. "You can never disappoint me," he said thickly. "How about you? I'm sorry for being so rough. If I knew that you were…"_

"_Ssshhh," Jill said, putting a finger across his lips. "It's alright." She smiled then, at first shyly and then slowly turning into a grin. "Believe me, I wasn't disappointed."_

_Chris grinned back. "So you liked it, huh?" He said teasingly, stroking her jaw with one finger._

"_You're not getting anything else out of me," Jill teased, and then groaned when Chris's finger slid down one breast. _

"_I promise, we'll go slower next time," Chris vowed._

"_Next time? How about… now?" And Jill pressed her mouth to his and opened them. _

_If Jill wasn't fully satisfied the first time, she couldn't complain the second time, as Chris examined every part of her body leisurely, molding and tasting her skin. Jill wasn't about to delegate herself to the role of a passive partner, and she also explored Chris's body with her hands and mouth. They took it slower, taking their time to learn their partner's bodies through touch, so that when they came together, it was all the sweeter._

_When they recovered, Jill snuggled on Chris's side. She giggled softly._

"_What is it?" Chris asked, his arm automatically wrapping around her. _

"_I wonder what the others are thinking," Jill said softly, a soft smile on her face._

"_Barry's probably laughing his head off now, I get the feeling he knew this was going to happen eventually. Claire and Rebecca too. And those other guys… I don't really know them, so I don't really care what they think." Jill giggled again. Smiling indulgently at her, he poked her nose with a finger. "I love hearing that."_

"_Hearing what?"_

"_You laughing. I don't hear it that much, so I love to hear it. It makes me happy just hearing you laugh."_

"_You're so corny, Chris," Jill said, but smiled up at him, stroking his jaw. _

"_Yeah, but you love me for it, anyway," Chris replied, smiling back. Jill suddenly yawned. "I should let you sleep," Chris murmured, pulling the blankets over their bodies._

"_Later. I just want to enjoy this moment for now," Jill murmured, snuggling closer. "Oh, Chris, I have something of yours," she said, her voice getting heavy in her sleepiness._

"_Hmmm…?" Chris asked, distracted, one hand stroking her hair._

"_Your knife. I have it. You left it in the apartment when you left Raccoon City," Jill answered, her voice barely a whisper now. She yawned again._

_Chris kissed the top of her head. "Keep it."_

"_But it's your lucky knife. You never leave without it."_

"_I know, but I want you to keep it. Besides, after tonight, I don't think I could ever leave your side again. I love you, Jill."_

"_I love you too, Chris," Jill answered. In a few seconds, she was asleep. Chris watched her as she slept, thankful that he was given a second chance to be with her again. It was several hours before he followed her in slumber, as he simply enjoyed the moment they were finally together. _

xxx

"You were close, huh?" Sheva asked.

"What?" Chris asked, distracted.

"Your partner. Jill Valentine. Were you two close?"

It took several moments for Chris to reply. "Yeah, yeah. We were. More than I could say." He peered outside. "How are you feeling? Ready to continue on again?"

Sheva was aware of the sudden change in topic, aware of the sadness that hovered over Chris. Still, it wasn't any of her business. "Let's go."

---

"We go this way," Sheva said, pointing to an alley. It was dark by now, and Chris and Sheva had to take extra care. The Majini were getting restless. Unlike the patrols they've encountered earlier, they were now gathered in large groups. The people might already be infected, but their senses were still active, and the slightest sound could bring hordes of the Majini at their ankles.

"Is it still far?" Chris hissed at her. "If this keeps up, we might have to take shelter in one of these houses again, at least, until daybreak."

"It's very close," Sheva replied. "Tricell is right over…" and she rounded a corner, with Chris right behind her, "here."

Chris gaped at the huge factory that seemed to appear out of nowhere. The building found at the end of a blind corner, hiding it from view until you were right in front of it. Looming over the horizon, it appeared almost like a monstrosity compared to the houses and fields surrounding it. _This is it, _Chris thought, his resolve strengthening. _This is where I'll find my answers. _"Let's go, Sheva."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter VIII**

Chris resolutely marched forward, his ready. Behind him was a bloodbath, a smorgasbord of blood and guts of creatures, practically unidentifiable. Ordinarily, he would've been tired, but one thing pushed him on. Jill. His eyes narrowed as he looked this way and that, looking for any sign that one of those rooms ahead of him contained something, anything, that could feed his newfound hope. Sheva trailed behind him, already tiring.

"Over here," Chris told her, and stepped into a room. The sound of moans immediately filled his ears. _Zombies! _Switching immediately from shotgun to assault rifle, he went a few steps down and prepared to shoot, when his eyes caught a movement. Horror filled him. "Sheva! These… people! They're alive!" he said in a strangled voice.

It took a while for Sheva's eyes to adjust the darkness of the room, but when it did, she was filled with the same horror. As she and Chris stepped down the rest of the stairs, they took in the appearance of the individuals, obviously prisoners, in the room. The people were indeed uninfected and alive, but only just. Bare bones protruded from their joints, their eyes sunken from lack of food. When one of them opened his mouth, a guttural moan came out, and Chris was horrified to see that his tongue had been cut out. It was too dark to see the entire length of the room, but as far as what Chris could make out, there were at least 50 of these people there.

"I see you've met our test subjects," a throaty voice said from behind them. Chris and Sheva whirled around, and saw a tall woman, European in appearance and wearing a white dress that barely covered an overly ripe body, smirking at them.

"Who the hell are you?" Chris snarled.

"Excella Gionne. But obviously, your partner knows that."

Chris stared, surprised, at Sheva, who had gone pale at seeing Excella. "You," she breathed. Recovering, she immediately ran up the stairs to lunge at the other woman, but was suddenly thrown back by a woman in a black cloak. The same one they saw at Irving's home.

"Very good," Excella complimented the cloaked woman, although her smile didn't reach her eyes. The other person didn't reply, merely stood ramrod straight beside the European.

Sheva stood up, her eyes filled with hatred. "You killed my family," she hissed.

"It's not my fault your parents got careless," Excella said, her tone unconcerned. "As for your brothers, let's just say I… needed them."

"What do you want them for, you bitch?"

"They had something in their blood that I wanted," Excella smirked. "Unfortunately, their constitutions were too… weak. A pity. I could've made them as strong as my pet," and she reached out a hand and stroked the head of the cloaked figure. "Take care of them, would you?" Excella murmured to the other woman. For a brief moment, Chris wondered if the cloaked figure didn't hear, and so was surprised when she suddenly jumped down the ledge to land right in front of them. "I am too busy to spend time with the likes of you, but I'm sure my pet here can entertain you, hmmm?" She said, laughing softly. As she did so, she went out the door and closed it.

Sheva and Chris went on opposite sides of the cloaked woman, their movements wary. Sheva raised her gun, but Chris shook his head, motioning for her to put it down. "Don't," he said. "We could end up killing the civilians." He slowly lowered his rifle on the floor. Looking at him quickly, a confused look came upon Sheva's face before she too, lowered her gun. The two of them circled the cloaked figure slowly, preparing for an attack from her.

They didn't have to wait long. In the blink of an eye, the cloaked figure suddenly attacked, and in a flurry of movements, brought down Sheva, and then Chris to their knees, choking at the pain. Sheva immediately got up and lunged at the woman, but the cloaked figure was too fast for her, and before she had realized what was going on, Sheva found herself thrown against the wall. Chris attempted to attack her from behind, but he was swiftly kicked in the gut. Clutching on his stomach, he staggered to his feet, only to have the cloaked figure dive down and sweep his feet from under him. She was about to drive her fist down Chris's face, when they stared at each other for the first time.

Chris was frozen. He couldn't speak, merely staring at the figure on top of him. The woman also stared back, almost as though in stasis. Sheva took the opportunity and tackled her. The two women struggled briefly, but Sheva was quickly overpowered, and she flung away from the cloaked woman. She struggled to get her handgun from her holster, but the mysterious figure was too quick for her. Taking out her own handgun, she fired… and Chris immediately went down with a cry. As he hell, the cloaked figure hesitated again, but immediately turned around and fled.

"No!" Sheva cried out. "You bitch!" She screamed, taking out her magnum, when Chris spoke sharply.

"Sheva, don't!"

"What the hell are you talking about, Chris?" Sheva snapped. "That bitch shot you!"

"It's just a flesh wound. I'm asking you, please, don't kill her," Chris said, his tone pleading.

"Who is she to you, anyway?" Sheva asked. "Don't even bother pretending you don't know what I'm talking about. I saw what happened a while ago. Who is she?" she demanded.

Chris hesitated, and in a pained voice, said, "She's Jill Valentine. My partner."

Sheva looked at him, shocked. "Are you sure about this?"

"Positive. I know her. I could identify her even if I was blindfolded. That was Jill."

Chris's words were loaded. Sheva could identify that. "First, we have to deal with this wound," she said briskly instead. "While we're tending to it, would you mind telling me what the hell is going on?"

"I'm alright. Like I said, it's just a flesh wound. Nothing that a first aid spray and some bandages can't fix," Chris said, his teeth gritted. He didn't think he could tell someone else, let alone a stranger, what his relationship with Jill was about. It was too personal, too private. Not even Claire or Barry knew what the depth of their relationship was. _Was. And now? _Chris wondered to himself. _What's going to happen?_

Sheva gave him a look, and bent down to look at the wound and Chris's leg. To her surprise, it was as Chris had told her. "How did you…?" she started.

"Standard STARS operation. We shoot at this spot to incapacitate our target. It stings like a bitch, but it doesn't damage any vital parts, and the damage is minimal. We learned this at training. This was Jill's specialty." Chris gave a cynical smile. "Like I said, I know her." Memories of their first mission together filled his head, but he suppressed it. It hurt enough as it were.

"What are you going to do?" Sheva asked, and Chris knew she wasn't just asking about the wound.

"I don't know…" Chris replied. For the first time since the mission started, he sounded unsure of himself. 

xxx

Hey, guys. Really sorry for the delayed update, school's been pretty heavy for me, have to do loads of papers and reports. Gah, school's killing me.

Oh, Jun Takeuchi has just been interviewed. I don't know if you're part of Capcom Unity, but they asked members to ask questions to Mr. Takeuchi regarding the game, and of course, I asked about the Chris/Jill relationship (what a surprise XD). The question got picked! He and some other Capcom guys were the ones doing the podcast, and their answer went something to the effect that they don't really make it a policy to deliberately create relationships on their games, but they said that if Chris "were real" and if you ask him that question, he'll say that he and Jill are partners, but you know that there's definitely something going on between them. That's good enough for me!:D Their answer was longer than this, but the bottom line is that there's something going on between the two, even if we don't see something obvious on I love that they answered that question, and it made me win a bet from a friend (about the Chris/Jill relationship).

One more thing: does anyone know about one Chris Redfield one-shot here on where he ends up dying at the end of the story? I know, there's probably a lot of 'em there, but the one I'm looking for is where his death came as a surprise. He was on a mission with the original survivors, if I remember correctly. I read this some months back, and I can't find it anymore. If anyone has any idea where it is, please do PM me the link, I'd be really thankful.

Anyway, I'll stop my off-topic ramblings.:P Just had to share that with Chris/Jill fans out there too. If you want a link to the podcast, let me know, I'll send it to you.:) I don't know if I could post links here so…

Oh, and shout-outs before I end this!

John234: Yes! Start writing again! We'll cheer you on!XD It'd be great to read your works, seriously. Oh, and *punch in the face* Kidding! Maybe I'll reconsider, but if ever I do write another lemon again in the near-future, it might be put in this story too, since the ones I'm planning to write are just pretty short one-shots.

30 Seconds to YOUR MOM: Darn! Talk about pressure! Haha! Anyway, thanks for the faith, I do hope my story will live up to it.:)

Hobohunter: I know! Still, I'm pretty chipper because of what the Capcom people said. If they really intend for Chris and Jill to have something going on, I'm hoping they'll establish that one way or the other in the next game(s).

C. Redfield 86, Harteramo, and Ashley Jo, thanks for dropping reviews!:D I definitely have plans on where this story is heading, so I hope you continue to read through it, and I hope you like what's going to be coming up in the next chapters.

Hope you like this chapter! As usual, R&R, please.:) (And yes, I'm still pumped up about the interview :p).


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter IX**

Heavy footsteps were heard along the corridors as Sheva and Chris went on pursuit. Not once did one of them ask the other who they were chasing after, and if Sheva brought up the question, Chris would not have known how to respond. All he knew was that he had to go after Jill.

Jill. Chris's heart clenched as he remembered their confrontation in the basement. Shocked was an understatement to describe how he felt when he saw the cloaked woman's face. Still, he can't help but feel the surge of hope that flowed in him. She was alive. Jill Valentine was alive.

"Chris," Sheva called urgently. She pointed forward. Chris's eyes followed where she was pointing at, and his steps slowed down. As though his thoughts summoned her, Jill appeared right in front of them, this time without the cloak. Chris drank in the sight of her. She looked different: her hair had somehow turned blonde and reached down her back, held in place by a ponytail. She was wearing a tight black catsuit, the fabric clinging to her curves. Even with the twisted grimace on her face, Chris thought she looked even more beautiful.

"Jill," he called out, and without conscious thought, he stepped towards her. At the blink of an eye, Jill moved and sent a kick at the back of his head, bringing him down.

Chris felt his ears ring, but he stood up again. "It's me! It's Chris! C'mon! I know you're in there!" He stepped towards her again, and Jill drove her knee up his gut, causing him to fall on his knees.

"Chris!" Sheva screamed. She took out her carbine rifle and pointed it straight at Jill's chest.

"Sheva, no!" Chris managed to choke out, still clutching his stomach. He made a move to get up again, pushing Jill out of Sheva's line of vision, but a blow to the back of his head caused him to go down again.

"Get out of the way, Chris," Sheva said grimly, aiming her gun at Jill's head. "That's not your partner anymore. She's dead."

"On the contrary, Jill's very much alive, and she's in this room with us right now," a silky voice came out of the shadows.

"Wesker," Chris growled out, glaring at the man who loomed over him, a smirk on his lips and his ever-present sunglasses perched on his nose. He wasn't surprised to see his former captain, somehow expected his appearance ever since he saw Jill.

"Hello Chris. Long time no see. And Sheva, wasn't it?" Wesker drawled out, focusing his eyes on the young woman, who merely grunted and aimed her gun at him. "That won't do at all," Wesker drawled, and moved swiftly. The next thing they knew, he had Sheva's gun in his hands and tossed it away. "Dear, dear Chris. Only two years since Jill's gone, and you're already working with a new partner. No wonder Jill's so upset at you." Wesker gave a low laugh, his voice mocking.

"What did you do to her?" Chris snarled, lunging for Wesker, but Jill merely kicked his feet from under him and causing him to crash hard to the floor.

"Temper, Chris," Wesker admonished, his lips curling. "Really, you should thank me. If not for me, she would've remained dead. Not that it matters," he said laughing again. "It's not like anyone missed her. You never even searched for her when she fell. It's the same as what happened when Raccoon City fell."

Chris's jaw clenched as he heard Wesker's words, and he hated his former captain even more because his words were true. He didn't search for her, only mutely accepted the report that said that Jill's body couldn't be found. His eyes chanced to look at Jill, and he was sickened that her glare was directed at him.

"Don't you want to know what happened to your precious Jill for the past two years?" Wesker whispered, walking over to where Jill was standing, and wrapping one lock of her hair around one finger. Chris's jaw set at the act, but he didn't move, merely stood with his fists clenched. "Learning to control your temper, I see," Wesker said, sneering. "Jill wouldn't want you to do violence… Because she's done more than enough for the both of you," he added, laughing softly.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, you know… Murder, terrorism, that sort of thing. You remember Irving, don't you? That was Jill's handiwork."

"Liar!"

"The best thing she's done so far, though, is to provide me with the data needed to create the most powerful bioweapon in the world," Wesker continued, ignoring Chris's interruption. "You remember when she was infected back in Raccoon City, don't you?" Wesker asked, and then catching Chris's look, laughed softly. "You mean, you didn't know? Dear, dear. And I thought you and Jill had no secrets from each other. Anyway, her blood contained the DNA I need to create the uroboros."

"Uroboros?" Chris asked, in spite of himself.

"Just a little something we've cooked up, and what the world will find out about soon enough," Wesker said with an evil grin. "Jill was quite helpful, in fact. Not that she did it willingly," Wesker conceded, "but no one else but the ones here in the room would know, and I suspect the two of you won't live long enough to tell everyone that she's innocent." He turned around then, and turning to Jill, muttered, "Get them."

At the command, it was almost like an invisible leash was snapped off from Jill, and she attacked furiously. Chris had only time to roll off to avoid a fist aimed at his face, but was caught by a mid-level kick at his side. He staggered, and then attempted to go after Wesker, but he was grabbed from behind and a kneed at the small of his back. Sheva rushed to help him, but Jill simply jumped and landed right behind Sheva and kicked her, causing her to fall hard on her hands and knees. The force caused the small door behind them to break open, revealing a large room that was almost like a cathedral in its enormity. Wesker darted in, and getting to her feet immediately, Sheva went after him.

"Jill, it's me! It's Chris!" Chris said desperately, making no move to defend himself from Jill's attacks. "Please, snap out of it!" Jill didn't give any indication she heard, and continued to hit him with everything she got.

"Just fucking hit her!" Sheva screamed, attempting to open fire at Wesker, without much success.

"I can't, dammit!" Chris yelled out, his voice broken. "I can't hurt her!" In desperation, he parried off her blows and he pulled her in his arms and embraced her, hard. "Jill, I know you're in there," he said, his face streaming with tears, ignoring Jill's furious hiss and her struggle to break away from him, only hugging her tighter. "Please listen to me. I love you, Valentine."

Jill's struggles abruptly stopped. She pushed Chris away, shaking her head, a confused look on her face. When she lifted her head, her eyes widened, as though she saw him for the first time. "Chris…?" She asked, her tone puzzled. With an almost childlike motion, she reached up and wiped the tears from his cheeks. "You're crying," she said, her tone confused.

"Impressive," Wesker said, staring at the two of them. Throwing Sheva out of the way, he looked at Chris and Jill with a strange expression on his face. The two of them stared back, with Jill wearing a curious look, as though she didn't recognize him. "This is the first time someone ever broke out of this," Wesker murmured, almost to himself. "No matter, an extra dose will answer that." He twisted a small dial on the watch-like device on his wrist. Almost instantly, Jill started convulsing wildly, screaming incoherent words.

"Jill! What's going on?" Chris cried out, and attempted to cradle her into his lap, but she pushed him away, twitching uncontrollably. He watched in horror as Jill continued to convulse, and before his eyes, she made a move as though to tear off her top, but only unzipped the upper part to reveal a large amulet-looking device wedged in her skin. "What did you do?" He yelled at Wesker, who had leaped atop one of the terraces in the room.

"Exploring the possibilities of what the human body can do," Wesker said cryptically, his lips curled in a thin smile. As abruptly as her spasms started, they soon stopped, and when Jill got back on her feet, she was wearing the same cold expression she did earlier. "Now this is going to be interesting."

xxx

I'm really sorry for the lack of updates the past week. School's been really demanding since it's the last stretch before the break, so I only had time to write papers, do reports, and whatever else projects I had to do. Anyway, I hope you're still reading the story.:)

For those who are asking for the link to the podcast, I'm really sorry to those who I accidentally sent the wrong link to, I didn't know automatically deletes chunks of a web address when you try to send a URL to someone here. Anyway, I'll put the link on to my profile, hope that works fine with you.

Oh, and many thanks to Raidenlover6! You're right, it's that story. Yay!

Again, R&R please.:)


	10. Chapter 10

Slight lemon at this chapter. You have been warned.:P

**Chapter X**

Chris slammed against the wall. Wincing at the pain, he got up unsteadily on his feet, swaying slightly. Blood oozed out from the side of his mouth, and as he raised his hand, he felt a painful bump on the side of his head. If Jill had been strong earlier, that was nothing compared to how she is now. As he stood, he faced her, who was eyeing him with a ferocious look in her eyes. Sheva was circling the two of them, her rifle held up, waiting for a signal from Chris. Wesker was crouched on one of the overhanging pillars in the room, almost like an overlarge bird of prey, observing the trio with barely restrained glee.

"Sheva."

Sheva immediately moved to his side, her eyes still trained on Jill. "What is it?" She asked in a controlled whisper.

"We have to get it off."

"I beg your pardon?"

"The amulet. We have to get rid of the amulet," Chris said urgently, his voice low.

"Are you crazy?" Sheva hissed. "You've been beaten up by that woman, and you still want to save her. That person," and she indicated at Jill with a nudge of her head, "isn't Jill anymore. She's dead, Chris, and the only way we could survive this is if we take her out."

"No. Jill's in there, I know it," Chris insisted. "You saw it. She recognized me, she talked to me. Please, we have to at least try."

Something about the tone of his voice seemed to reach to Sheva, and narrowing her eyes, she tore her gaze from him. "Alright," she finally said, "We'll do it your way first, but if you screw it up the first time, you won't interfere when I take her down. Is that a deal?"

Chris exhaled. He only had one shot at this. "Alright. It's a deal."

"Good. I'll be your support. Do what you have to do," and with this, Sheva sprinted off to the other side. The motion distracted Jill, and she immediately took after the younger woman. As soon as she had her back turned, Chris pounced, wrapping both arms around Jill's own. With a hiss, Jill grabbed him from the back and threw him down.

"This isn't working," Sheva yelled, as she intercepted the blow Jill aimed at Chris's head. Jill countered and sent a chop at Sheva's side, causing her to yelp in pain.

"Hold her down, I'll grab the amulet," Chris growled as he rolled on the floor and got back on his feet.

As a response, Sheva twisted so that she was in the same position that Chris was at, her arms holding down Jill. "Now!" she said sharply, struggling to keep the other woman in control.

Chris rushed forward, and avoiding Jill's flailing legs, he made a grab for the amulet. It wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. Sharp spikes jutted at the sides of the device, burying it securely under Jill's skin. The slightest pressure to it caused major bleeding, and it was obvious it was hurting Jill. She gave one primal scream after the other, the yells becoming more and more pained as Chris attempted to pry the thing off her skin. As a last act of desperation, Jill swung her arm hard, first downwards then to the sides. The motion resulted to a large breaking sound to tear through the air, and Sheva's own pained scream and her oddly angled shoulder revealed what happened: Jill had broken her shoulder. Chris, however, was too far gone in his mission to care about anything else. He simply pushed Jill on the floor and straddled her, preventing any means of escape. As he clawed at the device, he couldn't prevent the rush of memories flooding his mind.

_He was pushing himself in at Jill, harder, faster, at her unspoken command. In response, Jill wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers intertwining in his hair, and her legs around his hips, encouraging him, as she moved in perfect sync with him. Their heavy breathing filled the room. Chris withheld climax until finally…_

"Chris!"

The shriek broke through the air, breaking Chris's line of thought. Blinking, he saw the device on his hand. The amulet had come off at last. His eyes flew upwards up to Jill's face. Sweat covered her forehead, but other than that, there was no sign of life. Frantically, Chris felt for her pulse. A slight flutter was detected by his fingers, but it was light. Too light.

"What are you going to do, Chris?" Wesker taunted, his voice reverberating across the room. In Chris's desperation, he did not notice the former STARS captain descend from his perch, and only realized that belatedly when the older man was only a few feet away from him. "Your partner's dying. Or should I say partners?" he added, an evil grin on his thin lips.

Belatedly, Chris remembered Sheva, and his eyes found her motionless on the floor, probably passing out due to the pain of the broken limb. He didn't respond. He simply kneeled on the floor, one hand on Jill's face, his back turned against Wesker.

"Cat got your tongue?" Wesker asked silkily, moving still closer. "It's just you and me, Chris. I would've wanted an audience to see as I crush you like the bug that you are, but this will suit me just fine." He grabbed Chris by the throat and lifted him up in the air. "I should thank you, really. You've done so much to aid me in my quest for godhood. You'll be revered as a saint, but for that to be done, you have to die first. Sad for you, maybe, but not for me. You've been a thorn on my side almost from the very beginning, and that makes killing you all the sweeter. Any last words?"

"Yeah. Go to hell," a voice said, and before Chris knew what was happening, a bullet whizzed past his shoulder and went straight into Wesker's eye, shattering the left lens of his glasses and making him scream in agony. Almost immediately, a black tentacle-looking creature burst from his damaged eye and covered half his face. Clutching at his head, Wesker took off.

Chris turned around slowly. He knew whose voice it was. It haunted his dreams for the past two years, and while he heard it whisper to him only a few minutes ago, he was loath to see if the speaker was again a figment of his imagination.

She was pale, with one hand clutching her chest, but there was no mistaking who saved his life.

"You owe me," Jill said, a ghost of a smile on her face, her gun still smoking on her right hand.

xxx

Can I just say I love this chapter?:P Yeah, I love this chapter.

If you love it (or hate it), please do leave me a review, as always.:) I always love to hear what readers' feedback is, so I can improve/channel my story in the right direction.

Rika_Croft: I actually contemplated doing that in the beginning, but I realize I like a little more drama in the story.:P Don't worry though, I'm still trying to keep it tied to the game's story as closely as possible.

John234: You can do it!:D

lovely-star-209: The interview link's already on my profile.:) Don't laugh at my goof-up, please. I was in a hurry when I typed that question, and I didn't even know they were going to pick it.:P

Hobohunter and J.L. Zielesch: Yeah, I sorta wish they'd gone more romantic in the game itself. Heck, a simple hug would've made me feel better, but I'm not gonna be dissuaded into thinking there's nothing between these two, and besides, Capcom people already said that there is, and I'm holding them to their

Hannah554, Sparkle Valentine, Kenshin13, C. Redfield86, lazyguy90. death_dragon11, Tedric, and anyone else I might've missed (sorry!): Thanks so much for reading! I'm happy that you're happy with the flow of it, I hope you continue to read the story, there are only a few more chapters until the conclusion.

Again, please R&R.:D I'm also always welcome to critique, it makes me improve my writing.:)

Thanks for reading!


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter XI**

"Jill…" Chris uttered, his voice rough. Funny how, after two years of dreaming about her and wishing for time to go back, he had no idea how to approach you. He swallowed, trying to keep the lump in his throat from overwhelming him.

"Yeah… Yeah, it's really me," Jill answered, just as softly as Chris's voice. Her eyes were shiny with unshed tears, but a tentative smile appeared on her lips. "Happy Valentine's day."

Chris's eyes widened, and then a wide grin slashed across his face. It was March 7, well past Valentine's Day, but he didn't care. That was _their _thing. His head may not know what to do, but his body did, and before he knew it, he had enveloped Jill in a tight hug.

"God, you have no idea how much I've wished for this to happen," Chris said, laughing and crying at the same time. Pulling away slightly from her, he cradled her face, as though trying to memorize her features with both his eyes and hands.

"Oh, I think I do," Jill quipped as she laughed, but tears also ran down her cheeks, which Chris gently wiped away with his thumbs. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him to her, her face nuzzling his chest. If her grasp was too tight, Chris didn't complain, as he held her the same way, both of them clinging to each other as though their lives depended on it. And maybe it did.

If Sheva had doubts about Chris's professed relationship with Jill before, they were all erased now, and she looked at them with happiness and something that was akin to envy, somehow hoping she could have something like that in her life as well. Judging from how Jill glowed, even in her pallor, and how Chris looked _happy _for the first time since they met, she could tell that this was the real thing. She was wearing a slight smile to herself as she made her way to the embracing couple. "Sorry to interrupt, but we have to go. Wesker's already taking off, and if he escapes…"

Chris and Jill broke off slowly, but even then, their hands twined together, as though unconsciously. Jill turned her eyes towards the younger woman.

"You're Sheva, right?" Jill asked, her voice soft. "I'm pleased to meet you. Sorry we had to meet in these circumstances," she bit her lower lip, and added almost sheepishly, "for doing all those things to you." She tilted her head up at Chris. "The both of you." As she spoke, she extended her hand to her.

Sheva glanced at Chris with an impish look. "I like her," she said, a smile on her face. She looked back at Jill. "It's alright. You didn't know." She held her hand out to shake Jill's, and sucked in her breath at the sharp pain from her side. She lifted her head and met Jill's shocked eyes.

Jill withdrew her hand from Sheva almost as soon as the younger woman reacted. "I'm sorry… I didn't… Did I… do that to you?"

Chris was about to speak, when Sheva fended him off. "It's alright," she said, waving off Jill's apology even as she clutched her arm, which Chris and Jill belatedly realized was hanging at an odd angle from her shoulder. "I'm fine," she added, as though to convince herself.

"No, you're not," Jill contradicted. Pressing two fingers experimentally on Sheva's arm, she encountered a strange protrusion on one side, causing Sheva to wince at the pain. "It's broken," she said, her voice clinical.

"I'm fine," Sheva tried to insist, but Chris overrode her.

"Sheva, you can't continue, not like this. Listen, call for backup. Get De Chant, Stone, anybody from the team who's still alive. We might need their help. You also have to take care of the prisoners here. If we're lucky, they're still not infected, and we can rescue them, bring them back home. Isn't that one of our mission objectives?"

"But…"

"No buts," Chris said firmly. "That's a direct order."

Sheva knew what that tone of voice meant. Nodding resignedly, she replied, "Fine. I'll follow you as soon as I can." Turning to Jill, she asked abruptly, "What's your plan?"

"Same as before. We have to stop Wesker. Even as we speak, he's already working on infecting the biggest states of the world! We can't let that happen."

Sheva nodded. "How do you plan on stopping him?"

"He's probably on his way to the airstrip right now with the virus. It's after the east wing of the building. I know the way." Jill's eyes hardened. "I may not have control over my actions, but I sure as hell was aware what was going on – most of the time, anyway. Let's go."

"But we can't just… We still don't know how much damage happened to you and…" Chris interrupted.

"Dammit, Chris! Now's not the time for your chivalry!" Jill said impatiently. "We have to go now!"

Sheva couldn't help but grin as Chris turned a shade of red at Jill's retort. It was actually fun to see him get told off for a change. "Yeah, I really do like her." She headed off to enter the corridor where they came from. "See you later."

"Let's go. Unless you want to stay here, of course," Jill asked, an eyebrow quirked at Chris's direction.

Muttering under his breath, Chris took off after her.

---

"We go through that door," Jill said, pointing. "We only have to go through it and…" A figure suddenly swooped down the ceiling and appeared in front of them. For a second, Chris thought it was Wesker, but it was Excella, although she didn't look the same as she did when they first encountered her. Gone was the provocative white dress. In its place was a cream catsuit, not unlike what Jill was wearing. Like the gown, it did nothing to conceal her figure and left little to the imagination.

"Ah, pet. I'm so glad to see you alive," Excella purred, looking at Jill. "I was afraid dear Albert had killed you. I'm glad to see you made it out… So I can be the one to take your life myself." Her full lips curled maliciously into a semblance of a smile.

Jill stared back at Excella, and her hatred was plain to see in her eyes. "Just go ahead and try, Excella, I'm ready for you."

"We're ready for you," Chris corrected, standing beside Jill.

"No."

"What?"

"I'll distract her, you go after Wesker," Jill said, keeping her voice low so Excella wouldn't be able to hear what she was saying. "Just go through that door at the end of the corridor, it'll lead you right to the air strip. Wesker should be there."

"But I can't just leave you…"

"You can't allow him to escape, Chris," Jill said, her voice hard. "This isn't just for the world. This is for me and you and Claire and Enrico, Richard, Edward, Joseph and the others who died because of him. Besides," and Jill made her voice louder, "this is my fight." she said, still not taking her eyes off Excella. "I've wanted to take down this bitch for these past two years."

"Looks like the kitten's starting to show off her claws," Excella said, her mouth curling at a semblance of a smile. She stretched her limbs out, and straightened up. "Just try and stop me," she said, challenge in her voice and eyes.

"Oh, I will." Jill then tilted her head off to look at Chris. "You have to go now. Don't worry about me, I'm stronger than I look. The T-virus did something to me, which is probably the only positive thing that happened the past two years, when I think about it," she said bitterly, a look of self-derision appearing on her face.

"But…"

"Go. Now." And in so saying, Jill charged after Excella.

Chris didn't need another hint. He turned and sprinted for the door.

xxx

Not really my favorite chapter, writing-wise, but it gets the job done.:P It's hard writing transition chapters, and this was difficult. The "Happy Valentine's thing" mentioned here, if you found that confusing, here's a short explanation. Jill's "death" is actually dated around September, I think, and I followed that, but I forgot to say that in an earlier chapter where the greeting made its first appearance. It really wasn't Valentine's Day when Jill "died", it was just a silly thing Chris likes to tease her about.:P

I also debated with myself if I should make Sheva hate Jill, but I decided to stick with the amicable relationship that was shown in RE5. I don't really have anything against her (outside of her taking Jill's place as Chris's partner in the game), so I'm not going to abuse her character more than I have to.

Oh, and I know Excella's not really a fighter, but it would've been cool if she was.:p

Anyway, I might not be able to post new chapters until early next week. I'm finally on break, so I'll be going out of town (Yay!) I'm really sorry for the lack of updates for the next few days, but I promise I will come back to finish this story. Can't leave the big battles out of it, right?

As always, please read and review.:) Thanks so much!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter XII**

If Jill had expected the fight with Excella to be easy, she was in for a surprise. The other woman parried each blow easily, with an economy of movements that revealed hand-to-hand combat expertise. Excella sneered when she caught the look of consternation on Jill's face.

"Did you really think this was going to be easy, Jill?" Excella taunted her, as she easily swung an arm to deflect the punch Jill aimed at her. "Appearances can be very deceiving. You didn't really believe that you're the only woman here who can handle a fight, did you? Who did you think trained you to perform in combat this well? Albert would've killed you after extracting your blood sample, but I was the one who convinced him to keep you… As my pet," she added mockingly, and then suddenly dropped an axe kick at Jill's back, causing her to drop down on the floor.

"Bitch!" Jill immediately rolled off and crouched, swinging her foot in an attempt to catch Excella, but she jumped away. Jill then used the hand still on the floor to lever herself up and sprang up, landing behind Excella and attempting to drive her elbow in her opponent's gut, but it was easily parried, and her hand was grabbed and forcefully brought up her back, causing her to hiss in pain.

"What did I tell you about anger, pet?" Excella said, her voice continuing to mock her. "You will never get anywhere with that temper of yours," and she pulled Jill's hand even higher.

"Wanna bet?" Jill hissed, and she swung her foot and caught Excella by surprise, causing her to slam down on the floor. Not giving her an opportunity, Jill immediately brought her knee down hard on Excella's gut, and her opponent gasped out. Driving her knee even deeper, Jill glared down at her coldly. "If you're the one who trained me these past two years, thank you, because you gave me the means to bring you death. I've waited two years to kill you, looks like I'm finally going to get the chance."

"Not yet," Excella gasped out, and brought her hand up Jill's neck and attempted to choke her. Jill was able to deflect it, but her act of defense cost her, as Excella was able to wiggle out and rolled to the side and on her knees, gasping for breath. Getting to her feet, she stood at full height and glared at the other woman. "The kid gloves come off," she said, her tone of voice losing the mocking tone it had earlier.

"Looking forward to it," Jill said coolly, and then the two women simultaneously attacked. They were evenly matched. What battle experience Jill had was countered by Excella's training, and while she may be inexperienced when it comes to actual fights, this was met by Jill's weakness from the extraction of the mind control device. What blow one gave was immediately blocked or countered by the other. Eventually, Jill's experience came to play and slowly but surely, she began to have the upper hand, forcing Excella to step back with each blow. In desperation, the brunette attempted to gouge Jill's eyes, but she swatted the hand away easily, and then drove her hand, fingers extended, to Excella's face, deeply scratching it and drawing blood. Excella screamed and pulled away immediately, falling down on the floor on her knees and clutching at her head.

"My face!" Excella screeched, cradling her face. "You will pay for that!" and she lunged at Jill, who easily sidestepped to avoid the attack.

"Who's got anger issues now?" Jill taunted Excella, who was hissing in fury as she attempted to fight Jill while trying to staunch the wounds on her face. She attacked once again, but Jill sidestepped once again and grabbed Excella's neck and slammed her down on the ground. "Killing you is going to be very satisfying," she said coldly. Ignoring the dark-haired woman's weakening pleas, she tightened her grip.

"Jill, stop!"

Jill tilted her head to one side and saw Chris running towards her. She loosened her grip, but kept her hand on Excella's throat. "Why should I? Do you have any idea what this woman has done?" she said, her voice a snarl.

"I do, but that doesn't mean that you should do this. You're better than her, Jill. Don't go down her level."

"What makes you think I haven't already?" Jill said, self-derision in her voice. "It's been two years, Chris. We don't really know what happened back then. For all we know, I could've stolen or killed for her or Wesker. I don't even know who I am anymore."

"Maybe, but even if that's true, that's different. You were under their control. You're better than them, Jill. Don't kill in cold blood. That's not something the Jill I know would do. You may not know who you are, but I do. You're someone who will always be compassionate and will not let fury get in the way. You're Jill. My Jill." Chris pleaded, his voice husky with emotion. He stepped closer to her as he spoke.

Jill was quiet for a few moments, and then she slowly took her hand off Excella's throat. The other woman immediately crawled away, but Jill remained kneeling, her back turned against Chris. "What are you doing here, anyway? Did you find Wesker?"

"I didn't. I was almost at the airstrip when I realized that there was something more important than killing Wesker." When Jill gave him a questioning look, Chris continued, staring straight in her eyes. "I'm not leaving your side, Jill. Not anymore. I made that mistake twice in the past, and we've suffered enough because of that."

"But Wesker…"

"We'll get him another day," Chris interrupted. "I promised myself eleven years ago that I'll be your partner, but I've failed you twice. I'm not going to make that same mistake again. What's important is that we get you safe and get her," and he indicated at the crawling form of Excella, "under custody. We'll call for backup. We'll do whatever it takes to get him out of the hellhole he crawled to."

"That won't be necessary."

The menacing drawl could only come from one person. Chris and Jill whirled around and saw Wesker standing behind them.

"You must really mean a lot to him, Jill. Imagine giving up the chase for me just to see if you're doing fine."

"Don't flatter yourself, Wesker," Chris growled out. "The only reason why I'm hunting you is so I could kill you myself."

"There, there. And right after your lecture about killing someone in cold blood," Wesker said, mockingly lecturing him.

"Albert," Excella groaned, crawling toward him. "Albert, please. You have to help me."

A look of disgust crossed Wesker's face as he saw the crawling woman drawing nearer to him. "Excella," he acknowledged. He knelt down to face her. "You'll do anything for me, won't you, my dear?"

"Yes, of course," Excella said automatically, a look of adoration and subservience on her face. "What do you want me to do?"

"You don't have to do anything," Wesker said silkily, and he stabbed Excella in the jugular with a syringe. Turning to face Chris and Jill's shocked expressions, he said almost conversationally, "Be flattered. You're the first two people to see the beauty that is the uroboros virus."

As Excella's screams rent through the air and she started mutating, Jill turned to Chris.

"I guess that eliminates the 'cold blood' reason, huh?"

---

I've finally updated! I'm really sorry, I know this is delayed by more than a week. The vacation took longer than expected. Also, the story became a little harder to write from this point on. I realized that I dropped some details on the story in the earlier chapters that were revealed a little too soon, so I'm trying to reconcile my original plan with what I've produced. Second, this and the next chapter(s) will predominantly have fight scenes in them, and that's not my forte, which you've probably noticed. The good (or bad, depending on how you see it) news is, I've already written the very last chapter of the story, so we've only got two or three chapters to go.

Anyway, on this chapter, I'm aware that it's a "love it or hate it" thing, what with Jill going all savage and all. I toyed with the idea of her actually losing the fight (not to Excella, but to an earlier arrival of Wesker), but then I realized that she deserves way too much more than to be rescued physically by Chris again. She's tougher than that, and she could hold her own in this fight. Also, I think anyone would be pissed as her if she was captured for two years and put under mind control all that time. Besides, I like how Chris served as the voice of reason/emotion in this, especially since I think he was pretty emotionless in the two years that Jill was presumed dead.:P

And the scratch, it seemed like something that would happen in a catfight, which I tried hard not to bring out, but I couldn't resist damaging her face. She struck me as someone who's incredibly vain, and to take a blow at something she prides in would hurt more than any beating she could receive.:P

Anyway, I'll end my ramblings with my perpetual request: read and review please! Thanks!


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter XIII**

Excella screamed while she writhed and twisted as the virus ravaged her body. Her hair immediately fell out, and her already overripe body burst through her cat suit as her limbs grew in proportion. A thick black substance poured in torrents out of the wounds on her face and immediately covered every part of her body, creating some sort of thick carapace around her. Her fingers and toes elongated, creating powerful and cruel looking talons. Her facial features melted away, her nose replaced by a gaping hole, and her eyes growing even larger, changing to a bright yellow-green color. Her lips disappeared, replaced by a cruel-beak-like protrusion, yet filled with sharp, jagged teeth. Her body grew along with the rest of her, stretching as the black substance covered it. When it was all over, there was no trace of Excella Gionne. In her stead stood a creature that looked like a cross between a reptile and an oversized bird of prey, every part save for a few areas protected by an organic armor that looked solid yet alive at the same time. Movements continuously rippled on it, proof of the existence of the hundreds, even thousands of parasites that crawled on it. It raised its head, and it gave a huge bellow, haunting in its cry, a combination of anger and pain.

Chris and Jill helplessly stared as they watched every ounce of humanity being shed from Excella's body. "How could you do this?" Chris asked Wesker, horror and disgust in his voice.

Wesker smirked. "Unlike you, Chris, I am not hampered by human emotions. Excella was… attractive, I suppose, but in the end, she was nothing more than a pawn."

"You're a monster," Jill accused.

"Aren't we all?" He smiled coldly as the creature that used to be Excella Gionne stepped forward and moved to his side. "Meet the finest bioweapon that science could ever create. I would ask it to shake your hand, except that it would probably eat it. I must thank you, Jill. If not for you, I wouldn't have been able to make this. Your blood made it possible for me to rule the world!" As Wesker spoke, flecks of spit flew out of his mouth, and a crazed glint appeared in his remaining eye, causing it to glow into a deeper scarlet shade.

"You're raving," Chris retorted. "You're going insane, Wesker."

"Maybe, but that doesn't stop me from becoming the new god," he said, baring his teeth to a semblance of a smile. "You two are proving more trouble than you're worth. I don't think you deserve to be part of my subjects. It's time you die." Without looking, he gestured to the creature on his side, who started lumbering in Chris and Jill's direction.

_Shit! _

_"_But I'm a generous soul," Wesker said, still wearing that curious smile. "Here." He threw something to Chris.

Chris automatically caught the object Wesker tossed him. Looking at it, he saw that it was a watch, with 10:00 appearing on it. "What's this?"

"It's a timer. I'm actually going to give you the chance to try and stop me. I'll wait for you at the airstrip for ten minutes. That is," he taunted, "If you can live that long." A flash of movement, and he was gone, leaving Chris and Jill to deal with the bioweapon.

"Jill." Chris whispered urgently to her as they backed up slowly, and when she turned in his direction, he threw his semi-automatic to her, which she caught, just in time to dodge an attack from the BOW. "What's the plan?"

"I'll take the front, you take the back." Jill yelled back, immediately darting to the side and firing at the BOW. "Don't let it touch you! Contact with it could be lethal, we don't know what we're up against!" Chris nodded, and took out his shotgun and started shooting the creature.

"This isn't working!" Chris yelled in frustration, as their bullets bounced harmlessly off it. However, the monster appeared to be confused as it faced offensive from two sides, but it seemed to make up its mind, and charged at Jill, who rolled off quickly to avoid the claw swipe. Chris took advantage of the situation, darting right behind the creature and firing at the exposed area on its shoulders where the neck should be. The creature roared in pain and thrashed one talon behind it with the intent of grabbing its attacker, but Chris dodged off to one side. "Jill! Aim for the unprotected parts! It's vulnerable there!" Jill nodded. She dashed to the creature's side and fired bullet after bullet at the monster, aiming for the area at the back of the knee. With both of them firing at the monster, they eventually exhausted it. Giving a last roar, it crashed down on the floor.

Chris and Jill, panting, walked to it cautiously. "Is it dead?" Jill asked, clutching her side. Her breaths came in short gasps, and it was obvious she was already exhausted.

Chris looked at her worriedly, but knew better than to ask if she was alright. Instead, he said, "I hope so. Let's go after Wesker," he added, inclining his head in the direction of the airstrip.

Jill nodded, but continued to stare at the fallen creature as they started jogging for the door. Just as when they reached it, they heard a deafening roar. Turning around swiftly, they saw the BOW getting to its feet. Giving a scream of rage, it charged at them, and both of them immediately got out of the way, Jill barely so.

"No fucking way," Chris breathed as he stared at the monster. "We wasted so many bullets on that thing. How could it still be alive?"

"I remember… Wesker and Excella were talking about it. They said something like… For a uroboros virus to truly die, the source has to die as well," Jill murmured, almost half to herself. Her eyes widened at a realization, and she gripped Chris's arm and looked at him. "Chris… I think it means me. I have to die."

xxx

Yeah, I'm doing major changes on how the Uroboros virus works. I figured it would be more intimidating if the thing had an invulnerable armor protecting it, along with the enhancements it was given in-game.

Pretty short chapter, but I think that it had to end there. The next chappie's definitely going to have Wesker featured prominently in it, so I hope you do get to check it out.:)


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter XIV**

"No," Chris said furiously. "I just found you. I'm not about to lose you again."

"But what if…?" Fear made Jill's eyes appear brighter, and it was all Chris could do to stop himself from pulling her in his arms. The roar of the monster kept him in check though, and he twisted around to face the BOW again.

"No," Chris repeated. "First, we take this son of a bitch down. Then we'll come up with a way. We have to. I don't think I'll be able to survive losing you again."

Jill looked at Chris, almost as though she was absorbing his features to memory, and then she nodded. "Let's do this."

Both of them started shooting at the same time. The creature lunged at them, but they swiftly evaded it and continued firing. The BOW swung this way and that, apparently confused as it was attacked from two sides at the same time. Giving another deafening roar, it made its choice, and crashed towards its bigger target, swiping his shotgun with one claw. Chris swore as his gun flew from his hands, and barely managed to duck and dive as it went for his head. Not to be outdone, the BOW turned around and planted one clawed foot on his stomach. Chris yelled at the impact, as the bioweapon's toxic flesh caused a reaction to his skin, even with the protection of his clothing. The pain disappeared quickly, though, as Chris saw Jill flying through the air as she kicked the monster squarely in its chest, removing it from Chris's torso. Jill immediately rolled away as soon as she landed, immediately pulling out her submachine gun and firing away. Her attack angered the BOW, who roared and charged at her. Exhaustion betrayed her, and she moved a second too late. The next moment, scarlet blood splashed through the air and splattered on the ground. Jill hissed at the pain as she painfully fell on one knee on the floor, but she didn't back down, continuing to fire at the monster's weak area, this time on the exposed area where the stomach should be. Her efforts finally paid off, as the BOW screamed painfully, and then collapsed on the floor. As soon as it did, Chris rushed to her side.

"Jill, your arm," Chris said frantically. Desperately, he tore off a sleeve of his shirt to try and bind the ugly gashes with as blood poured out from it.

"Don't worry about me. I'm immune to it," Jill said, wincing at the pressure from Chris's fingers.

"Immune, my ass! What do you call this?" Chris growled as he tried to fix the makeshift tourniquet as well as he could.

"No," Jill said frustration. "What I meant was…"

"I know what you meant," Chris snapped. Taking a step back, he breathed deeply and ran one hand through his hair, a sure sign of his frustration. "Look, Jill, I appreciate what you've done, but please, you have to promise me to stop risking your neck for mine. It's not worth it."

"It is to me," Jill whispered. As they looked at each other, they unconsciously moved their faces closer together, but as their lips were about to meet, a beeping sound interrupted them.

"Ah, shit! Come on. We've got two minutes to go after Wesker," Chris exclaimed, and grabbing Jill's hand, he started running in the direction of the airstrip.

As they entered the next corridor, they heard the sound of a robotic voice.

"Self-destruct sequence has been activated. All personnel must evacuate within thirty minutes. Repeat, self-destruct sequence has been activated."

"Great. Of all the… Nothing says bioweapons facility…" Jill growled.

"Than the activation of a self-destruct sequence," Chris finished for her. "Worry about that later! We have to catch up to Wesker," he said, running even faster. One more turn, and they found themselves at the airstrip.

At one end was the hangar, where outlines of three small planes can barely be seen in the moonlight. The Tricell factory was conveniently located at a coastal area, most probably to have an easy way to clear any traces of bioweapons research. Hence, the airstrip stayed true to its name, with the runway only running a short distance before it ends abruptly in a cliff, where ocean waves angrily crash to the side of it. In the middle of the strip stood Albert Wesker.

"You came on time," Wesker said, grudging admiration in his voice.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Wesker," Chris said coldly.

"Jill. Still alive? I'm impressed. I'd have thought you'd be dead by now. Here I was thinking that the uroboros virus was my masterpiece, when all the while, it probably was you."

"Go to hell," Jill snarled, her gun also aimed at her enemy.

"Is that the way to talk to your rescuer? And after all the effort I made to make sure you survived. It's no wonder our child is so angry at you."

"What child?"

Wesker nodded his head at something behind Chris and Jill, and the next thing she knew, she was being lifted bodily a few feet up the air.

"What the…?" Jill exclaimed, as she struggled to get away. Craning her neck at her captor, she was shocked to see that what held her captive was the creature that took over Excella's body.

"Our child, Jill," Wesker said silkily. "You were its mother as surely as _I_ was its father." He gave a malicious smile. "Looks like I got ahead of you, Chris, as always."

"You sunuva…!" Chris's attack was neatly stopped by Wesker, simply by driving his fist in his gut as the younger man attempted to strike his head.

As Chris fell hard on his knees, Wesker loomed over him. "What did I tell you about emotions, Chris? They make you weak. That's why you're so easy to manipulate. All I had to do was take that bitch away from you. I knew that if I did, it was only a matter of time for you to show up to seek revenge or look for her, and you did." He smirked. "Producing the uroboros virus through Jill was only an unexpected bonus."

"What are you talking about? We thought you were dead," he ground out.

"Ah, Chris. Haven't you realized it, yet? _I _was the one who built up Tricell through Excella. _I _was the informant who told BSAA about the outbreak here. _I _was the one who left clues about Jill for you to find. I wanted you to come here, and you played right into my hands."

"What do you want from me?"

"Your life, Chris," Wesker said, his voice becoming eerily quiet as he stepped closer to Chris. "I want you dead, and I want you to die by my hand."

"I'm flattered," Chris said sardonically.

"You should be. Imagine just how many of my people died just so I can get to you. No matter. After I kill you, the whole world will be mine, so losing a few right now would not matter."

"That will never happen," Chris growled out.

"Oh no?" Wesker smirked. "Think again, Chris, because in a few hours' time, it will, and you will be in the front seat." His grin grew wider. "That is, if you manage to survive this, and I seriously doubt that you will."

Chris pulled out his magnum revolver from his thigh holster. "Just go ahead and try, Wesker," he challenged, "I'm ready for you."

"Oh, I will. But first," he gestured to the uroboros BOW. A roar, a scream, and a sickening crunch were heard, and the next moment, it dropped Jill's lifeless body on the ground.

xxx

No, I am not going to talk about how this chapter ended.:P All I can say is, I wanted the whole battle sequence to happen in this chapter, but this was getting too long, and I had to chop it to two chappies to be more easily digestable.

Anyway, I hope you like this chapter, and I also hope you don't kill me for what happened here. There are still a couple or so chapters left, so you'll get your answers then.:P

Oh, and I couldn't resist the self-destruct sequence. RE for me wouldn't be RE if that was absent.

As always, thanks for reading, and I'd appreciate if you reviewed the chapter or the story so far.:)


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter XV**

"Jill!" Chris yelled, his voice cracking. He attempted to run to her lifeless body, but the BOW blocked his path, snarling menacingly.

"Don't be foolish, Chris. The only reason why the BOW beside you has not killed you is because I'm telling it not to, but don't try its patience too much, or you'll end up the same way as dear, dear Jill. Really, you should thank me. Because of me, you'll be an even better fighter, because you don't have anything as pathetic as emotions to hold you back. Why, you might even be a match for me," Wesker said, a malicious smile on his face, his remaining good eye gleaming in the darkness.

Chris's head snapped in the direction of Wesker, a look of pure hatred in his eyes as he looked at his former captain. Time enough for grief later. Right now, he had to do what he came here for. He cocked his magnum revolver. "This ends here."He He

"You're right, it is. But not in the way you're expecting. I've been waiting for this for two years. You're mine, Chris." Wesker charged at Chris, who didn't bother dodging. Instead, he fired shot after shot at the rapidly approaching figure, but his efforts were useless. While the shots slowed him down and drew blood, it didn't stop Wesker, who continued his attack with a manic look on his face. At the last minute, he turned, and his foot made contact with Chris's face as he flipped and kicked him. The impact caused him to fall hard on his knees, spitting blood.

"Is that the best you can do, Chris?" Wesker taunted, seemingly unaffected as his own blood flowed freely from the side of his head and his torso.

"Not by a long shot," Chris snarled, as he quickly got back on his feet and dashed off to hide behind crates at the side of the airstrip.

"You're only delaying the inevitable, Chris," Wesker's voice called out.

"Wanna bet?" Chris muttered, as he peeked on top of the crates, his gun ready. He quickly peered from side to side. No Wesker.

"Yes, I'm willing to," said a voice right behind him, and Chris felt himself grabbed and thrown across the airstrip. Grunting at the impact, he quickly rolled and got back on his feet, firing successively. This time, Wesker dodged the shots, his movements barely noticeable by the naked eye. Suddenly he jumped, and it was all Chris could do to roll off as Wesker punched the floor where he had been standing just a second back, the impact producing a small hole on the ground. Chris aimed to attempt to blow off Wesker's head, but in a flash, the blond man suddenly appeared behind him and kicked him again, causing him to fly across the airstrip, dangerously close to the edge.

The two men faced each other, one armed, the other weaponless, yet there was no doubt on who had the upper hand in the fight.

"Are you even trying?" Wesker continued to taunt Chris. "Maybe I should kill your sister too. Maybe that should do the trick. Claire, wasn't it?"

"Don't you touch her," Chris yelled, only to be punched in the gut.

"Good. You at least have some spirit left. I was beginning to think you died… Like Jill."

"Fuck you, asshole!" Chris shouted, and fired another round at Wesker, this time tearing off skin from his cheek and grazing his jaw. Still, Wesker approached.

"Did you really think that would stop me? _Death _didn't stop me. What makes you think you can?" He moved swiftly and before Chris knew it, he had him by the neck and was being lifted a foot above the ground. "Let's see if you can escape death as well." Wesker slowly moved his hand, bringing Chris to the cliff area. His magnum revolver fell from his hands as it clattered down to the ravine.

As Chris struggled to break free from Wesker's grasp, his eyes caught a motion behind them, and they grew wide at what they saw. "Not yet," he ground out, and moved just in time to prevent falling to his death as Wesker's grip instantly loosened as the blond man was suddenly barraged by bullets.

"The hell…?" Wesker snarled, swinging around to see his shooter.

It was Jill, her finger still on the submachine gun's trigger, as she continued to rain bullets at Wesker.

"Get her!" Wesker practically screamed. The uroboros creature immediately lunged after Jill, but she somersaulted, and her foot hit the monster squarely below its beak, causing it crash on the ground. An inhuman scream cut through the air as it slammed down, but Jill didn't look at it. Instead, she ran to Chris's side and pulled him to his feet.

"Jill…?"

"We'll talk later," Jill said tightly. "We have to deal with this first."

Chris nodded. "Who gets what?"

"I'll take the creature. I'm immune to its venom. You take Wesker. Besides," and here, Jill looked at Chris with a slight smile on her face, "We both know you want him."

Chris grinned. "Jealous?" then bit back a curse as they jumped in opposite directions as the creature leapt at them.

"As if," Jill snorted. "I'll take care of this thing. Chris, you have to make sure we end this once and for all," and she darted off to one side as she fired at the BOW to draw it away from Chris. Her plan worked. Roaring madly, the creature went after her in pursuit.

Chris immediately took out his handgun, his only remaining firearm.

"She's still alive. But how…? Of course, the T-virus. I didn't expect it to meld so completely with her DNA…" Wesker was murmuring to himself.

"Give it up, Wesker," Chris called out to him, his gun in his hands.

Wesker's head snapped up at Chris's call. His remaining good eye narrowed. "No matter," he continued, still murmuring half to himself, "It might be a small miscalculation on my part, but it doesn't mean I can't kill you."

"Actually, it does," Chris replied, as he fired at Wesker. As before, he drew blood, yet Wesker remained indifferent to the wounds he was receiving.

"How many times will you do that before you realize it, Chris? Bullets have no effect on me," Wesker said, and he grabbed Chris by the neck again.

"Maybe, but this does," Chris ground out as he pulled out his combat knife and stabbed it squarely in Wesker' remaining good eye. Screaming in pain, Wesker attempted to pull out the blade, but a thick black substance came and coated it, assimilating it in his body. Blinded, he swung this way and that, clutching at his face as the strange fluid emerged from Wesker's open wounds and spread quickly. Within a few seconds, he took on a strange appearance, that of a mottled creature, neither man nor animal. He screamed again, one hand on his eyes, the other attempting to peel off the growing coating around him. Not seeing where he was going, he staggered his way to the cliff, and plunged into the darkness. Simultaneously, the creature, who was somehow mind-linked to him, roared and crashed to the opening, following after its master.

Jill walked over to the edge of the cliff to stand beside Chris. "Déjà vu," she murmured.

---

One or two more chapters to go (depending on how long the part I haven't written yet is, since I already made the concluding sections).:)

I didn't want to rely on deus ex machina, that's why there's no mention of a rocket launcher, and Chris's weapons are severely limited. Same principle for Jill's resurrection, since the T-virus is really made to reanimate dead flesh. RE5 explained Jill's blood/cell mutation differently, but I didn't really follow that to the letter.:P

With Wesker's weak spot being the eye, that's actually just something I've thought of. RE paid so much attention to his eyes that I wanted to play along with it. After all, the first Tyrant did have his exposed heart as his weak spot, might as well give one to Wesker too.

I wanted to write this as game-like as possible, like you can imagine actually playing this in an RE game, but this last chapter didn't really turn out that way, resembling more a really long cutscene than an actual section that you get to play.

Again, read and review please. Thanks!


	16. Chapter 16

The final chapter. It's pretty long, as I decided not to cut it in two. Lemon coming up, just because John234 asked for it.:P

**Chapter XVI**

Chris and Jill were back in the US. After what seemed like years (which is true for Jill), they were finally going home.

Sheva and Josh Stone had arrived via chopper just in time to extract Chris and Jill from the Tricell factory two minutes before it blew up. De Chant, they found out, became a casualty, sacrificing himself to get the remaining survivors out of Kijuju. After about an hour, they had then landed in the BSAA West African headquarters, at the insistence of Stone. To their surprise, the head of the BSAA was there.

"Redfield! What the hell were you thinking?" Thomas Anderson had exploded as soon as Chris got off the chopper. "Just because you're our top agent doesn't give you the right to do things on your own! It's a good thing Tricell was exposed, or BSAA would be in deep shit! You're suspended until further notice!"

"Actually sir, you don't have to suspend me. I quit."

"What?" Anderson had sputtered. "Chris, come on. Now you're being hasty. Maybe I got a little carried away. You don't have to quit."

"Maybe I was being too hasty," Chris had acknowledged. "I can't quit, at least not yet until I get back to the US. I can't lose my free ride back home."

"Come on, Chris. Don't be like that," Anderson had pleaded. "You can't leave the squad. We need you."

"Sir, you misunderstand. I can still work freelance, but I can't be a full-time agent anymore. The mission got me thinking, and I realized I needed to sort out my priorities," Chris said, smiling at Jill, who was standing behind him.

"Eh? Who's there?" Anderson had asked abruptly, only just noticing the unknown figure.

Jill stepped out of the chopper and stood beside Chris. "Hello, Colonel."

The face may not be familiar, but the title and the voice were, as they were exactly the same as when they were still in the Delta force. "Valentine?" Anderson had asked, his voice disbelieving.

"It's me," Jill affirmed, a big grin on her face.

"How did you…? We thought you were…"

"A lot of you did," Jill had answered, her tone wry.

"We'll write you a report and submit it to your desk next week," Chris had interrupted, shepherding Jill back to the chopper. "Right now, we just need to go back home."

Anderson, however, had not been that easy to be put off. "Now wait a minute," he sputtered. "I want an explanation, and I want it now! This is not something that could be explained in a damn report!"

"Sir, with all due respect," Sheva had interrupted their head's tirade, "Agents Redfield and Valentine have been through a lot. I do think they deserve at least a week's rest."

"Fine," Anderson had grudgingly said. "But don't think you're getting out of writing that report even if you've quit! What about your medical exam?" He had added belatedly, only just noticing their bloodstained clothes. "Protocol says you have to…"

"We'll be consulting with Dr. Chambers before we go home," Chris had interrupted again.

"But she's not BSAA-certified…!"

"It's her or no report," Chris had answered flatly. Without waiting for a reply, he had turned around, his hand still intertwined with Jill's, and pulled her behind him, Sheva at their heels. As they walked back to the chopper, Sheva had given the two a wink, and the two gave grateful smiles in answer.

"That was pretty rude," Jill had murmured to Chris.

"He had it coming," Chris had replied. "We can't stay here. You need your rest. And you," he had added, nodding at Sheva, "Need to have that arm checked."

Sheva had shaken her head. "Has he always been like this?" She asked Jill.

Her eyes twinkling, Jill had replied, "Oh, he can get worse, believe me. You should have seen how he reacted when he found out his sister started dating her boyfriend. He…"

"Okay, that's enough," Chris had interrupted, giving the two a sour look. "Up you go," he said, trying to give Jill a boost to get to the helicopter.

"Chris, can you please let go of me," Jill had said exasperatedly at Chris, who had his arm around her shoulders as he helped her up. "I can climb up to the chopper myself."

"No chance," Chris had replied, shaking his head as he sat down on one bench, pulling Jill at his side. "I've only found you again. I'm not going to let you go for, say, for the next twenty years or so."

Jill had been momentarily taken aback by Chris's words, but then she smiled and had leaned her head on his shoulder. Chris thought he heard her say "Good", before she closed her eyes and went to sleep. Chris smiled to himself. There was something about Jill and helicopters that somehow made her always fall asleep on his shoulder. Not that he minded. He pulled her even closer to his side, leaned his cheek on her head, and then he, too, had slept.

---

It was a few hours later that they found themselves on US soil. A military-standard vehicle had been provided for them, and they had found themselves rumbling to Rebecca Chambers' small clinic.

"It's me, Rebecca," Chris had said over the speaker at the door.

"Chris?" Rebecca had answered, her voice clearly surprised. "I'll be down in a few. Aren't you supposed to be on one of your missions? Do you need to talk again? I swear, you really need to get a shrink about that instead of talking to an internal medicine specialist…" As her voice faded, Jill had looked at Chris with interest, as he turned a dull shade of red at Rebecca's words. He was saved from replying when the door burst open.

"So what's the problem now?" Rebecca had asked. "Do you want to talk about…" Her head had slowly turned to Chris's companion. "Jill?" She had asked, her eyes widening.

Nevertheless, it took several hours before they were able to get out of the clinic. Rebecca had blubbered her way throughout taking their X-rays and checking their vitals, and she'd insisted that they stay after the examinations to catch up. In spite of this, they were still able to get a lot of work done.

"Yep, you're definitely healing incredibly fast," Rebecca had told Jill as she examined her X-Rays. "See here? There's a small crack on your rib, which shouldn't be the only injury you had based on your stories. Wesker probably didn't realize what medical breakthrough he's done with the T-virus. I'd like to run some more tests in the next few days, if that's alright."

Jill had agreed immediately. "As long as it doesn't involve me in a cultivation tank, I'm good with that," she had said with a wry grin.

_---_

Between the tests and the catching up with Rebecca, it was already dark out when they headed off again. Presently, they arrived at the suburban area where Chris lived.

Jill was puzzled. "Aren't you supposed to turn right?" She asked Chris, who had made a left turn at the corner.

Chris flashed her a boyish smile. "You still remembered."

"Of course. I lost two years of my life, that doesn't mean I'm amnesiac," Jill said impatiently. "Now, will you answer my question, or do I have to squeeze it out of you?"

Chris laughed outright. "Just because you're superwoman now…" Jill slapped his arm. "Ow! Okay! The thing is, after we thought you… died," and here, he darted a glance at her, who gave a small nod to show she understood, "I couldn't stay in that house. There were too memories, and they hurt too much." Jill squeezed his hand in understanding, and he squeezed back. "So what I did was I got a new house, also in the neighborhood, but something different. Turning another corner, Chris slowed down and parked in front of a quaint blue and white house. "We're here." He said needlessly, getting off and opening the passenger door for Jill, grabbing her hand again. "It's a bit smaller, but it suited my purposes. I wanted to try my best to forget you," as he continued walking, he took out the key and used it on the door, opening it at the same time for her. "But as you can see, I didn't do a good job of it," he said, and grinned down at Jill's facial expression.

Jill was speechless. At every surface on the house was a picture frame, and each frame contained a picture with her in it. Some, she knew of, like the STARS group picture (with Wesker's face burned off with a cigarette), or the photo of her and Chris in the county fair that Claire insisted on taking, probably because her brother looked goofy in the picture carrying dozens of small stuffed animals that he and Jill won at the shooting booth at a bid to outdo each other. Other pictures she wasn't familiar with, like the shot of her sleeping, her mouth slightly parted, or a profile picture of her, with the background of the image looking like the RPD office. Some are solo pictures of her, others with other people, but a lot were of her and Chris together. There are also shots that are clearer than others, the latter of which looked like they were stolen shots. Jill's hand rested on one photo, the one taken of their first Valentine's day together. Chris had gotten the cheesy idea of them going on a traditional Valentine's day date to be like "normal couples", but the picture showed that they were anything but normal: for starters, they were the only blue and green-clad people amidst a sea of red, and second, Jill had a gun on her leg holster while Chris had his on his waistband, which could possibly be the reason why they were also so easy to spot in the picture: the rest of the crowd had steered away from them.

Jill tilted her head questioningly at Chris, who was standing right behind her. He grinned sheepishly and murmured, "What can I say? I missed you."

Without thinking, Jill threw her arms around Chris's neck and buried her face in his neck. Chris smiled and wrapped his arms around her. It was a few seconds later that he noticed his neck was getting wet. Pulling away slightly, he tilted Jill's head and saw that she was crying. "Hey, what's this for?" He asked softly, wiping the tears off one cheek with a thumb.

Jill laughed as she ineffectually tried to wipe her other cheek with one hand. "I don't really know," she confessed. "Maybe I'm just glad to finally be home."

"Me too," Chris whispered, and before he could stop himself, he kissed her. He had intended it to be a gentle caress, but Jill had other ideas. Moaning softly, she tangled her fingers in his hair and opened her mouth, moving closer to him. Groaning at her response, he pulled her even closer to him and darted his tongue in her mouth, tasting her again, making the kiss even more passionate. When at last he was able to wrench his mouth away, he leaned his forehead against hers, both of them panting heavily.

"Can you…?" He whispered to her.

"Yeah…" Jill said, daring to plant a kiss on his neck.

"Would you want to?" Chris asked, holding his breath for her answer.

Jill lifted her head to smile at him. "I don't think there was ever a time when I was captured that I didn't want you. Whenever I'd break out of their control, you were the person that I would always think of."

"And now?"

"My feelings haven't changed. I loved you, I still love you. What about you?"

Chris chuckled softly. "You're asking me that question, even after seeing your face at every corner of the house? I love you, Jill," and in so saying, he kissed her again, long, deeply, and lovingly. As he did so, he lifted her in his arms, carrying her to the bedroom, without breaking lip contact. Pausing only briefly to take off each other's clothes, they fell down on the bed, mouths clinging and arms wrapped around each other. Chris would have wanted to go gently, for fear of causing Jill pain, but she quickly dissuaded him from doing so, and they made love fast and hard, their actions, more than words, betraying their need for each other. They then fell asleep in each other's arms.

When Jill woke, she felt Chris's hand lightly stroking her body. "Again?" She murmured drowsily.

Chris grinned. "Yes, again. Don't you want it?"

Jill grinned back. "I'm not complaining. I'm suggesting."

At this, Chris chuckled, and brought her to him again. This time, they went slowly and passionately, taking their own sweet time to reorient themselves with each other's bodies with their eyes, hands, and mouths. When Chris reached the cleft between her breasts, he traced the mark left by the mind control device with a finger. He still remembered the heartbreaking screams Jill gave when the thing was extracted from her. "Does it hurt?" He asked softly.

"No. No, it doesn't," Jill sighed, as Chris kissed it, while his hands went to her breasts and kneaded them gently. They explored each other's bodies, discovering things that were absent two years ago, such that when they came together, it was all the sweeter, as they came to know each other even more intimately than before.

Moments later, when Jill was snuggled securely at Chris's side, she chuckled.

"What is it?" Chris asked softly.

"Maybe I should disappear more often. You've… grown quite a lot since two years' back," Jill teased. To her surprise, Chris didn't laugh.

"Don't joke like that," Chris said roughly, tightening his embrace around her. "When you fell down that window, a part of me died. If not for Claire and the others, I probably would have killed myself too. It was all I could do to keep on fighting, and the only legal thing I could do outside the battlefield to vent my frustration was to work out. You mean that much to me, lady."

Jill nuzzled her face in Chris's neck. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that," she said softly.

Chris kissed the top of her head. "Don't be. It's not your fault. I should be the one sorry. I should have been the one who jumped out the window, not you. I…"

"Ssshhh," Jill interrupted, putting a finger on his lips. "It's all in the past now. I'm never going to leave your side. Never again."

"Really? Would you want to make that legal?"

"What?"

Chris leaned over to the dresser and pulled out something. "I was going to give you this after we talked to Spencer those two long years ago, but better late than never, right?" Giving Jill a crooked grin, he revealed the small box in his hand and opened it. In it was a platinum ring with a solitaire diamond. "Will you be my permanent Valentine, Jill?"

"You really are corny, Chris," Jill said, but her eyes were shining with happiness. She wrapped her arms around him and pecked him on the lips. Leaning her forehead against his, she whispered, "Yes, I will marry you."

They were awakened early the next day to the sound of a slamming door. Jill immediately reached for the gun on the nightstand, but Chris pulled her back to his side. "Don't worry, it's just…" Chris's voice was filled with both chagrin and laughter, but before he finished his sentence, a voice broke through the silence of the house.

"Don't pretend you're not at home, Chris, I saw the car on the driveway," Claire's voice came out. "Rebecca called last night, she said something that I had to see for my…" The bedroom door suddenly swung open, and Claire burst in. "Oh," was all she could say, at the sight of Jill and Chris snuggled in bed.

"Oh," Leon echoed Claire's sentiments, close at her heels.

"Go 'way, Claire," Chris said, his tone lazy, as he wrapped an arm around Jill.

"Hi Claire, Leon," Jill said, smiling at them, her eyes still hazy with sleep.

"Jill? Is that really you? We thought you were…"

"Yeah, I seem to be getting a lot of that lately," Jill said, her lips quirking to a smile. "I missed you, Claire."

With a bawl, Claire ran up to Jill and embraced her. Jill, laughing, hugged her back, while pulling the blanket to cover her.

"It's really you! What happened to you? And why are you _blond_?"

At this, Jill laughed out loud. "It's a long story. I'll tell you two about it, just let us get dressed first, alright?"

Claire laughed. "Okay, but you have to tell me _everything_. Come on, Leon," she said, gesturing to her boyfriend as she made to step out of the room.

"Oh, and Leon, I'd appreciate it if you don't look at my future wife that way," Chris said, half-serious, half-joking, giving the younger man a severe look.

Leon sputtered in protest, but Claire squealed again. "You're getting married?"

"Later, Claire. We'll tell you all about it later." Jill laughed again.

"Fine," Claire grumped. As she stepped out of the door, she paused, and looked at her brother. "So it's finally over now." Her eyes sought Chris's, looking for assurance.

With a slight nod, Chris answered, "Yeah. The nightmare's finally over." Smiling, he pulled Jill closer to his side, and kissed her on the forehead.

**Epilogue**

"Hey, Johnny! Check that out!" Elle said, pointing at the beach.

"What the hell…" Whatever Johnny was about to say became inaudible, as his words were drowned by the sudden froth of blood that spilled out of his mouth. He stared in surprise at the protrusion that emerged from his chest, and sighed audibly and slumped as life departed from him. Elle's scream was abruptly cut off as she followed the same fate as her boyfriend.

The creature that emerged from the beach tossed the two lifeless bodies almost negligently to the side, as though it didn't care about its victims anymore. Pulling its tentacles back to its torso, it turned left and right, as though it were sensing something, perhaps looking for any other trace of life that witnessed its emergence. There were none, as it was before the crack of dawn, and the beach was silent save for the gentle lapping of waves. As it lumbered out of the water, it seemed to blend in with the darkness, its thick black carapace blending in with the shadows, yet glints of a different seemed to shine every so often, eerily looking like human flesh. While it was humanoid in appearance, standing on two legs, it was narrower than a regular man, almost skeletal in appearance. The tentacles it used to spear Johnny and Elle had reformed, forming what appeared to be a cross between a hand and a claw. It opened its maw, and surprisingly, words can be made out of its hisses.

"Chris… Jill… Destroy… I… am… god…"

---

And this is where the story ends.:) Thanks to everyone who've read and reviewed, I really, really appreciate it. I hope you liked the story, I had fun writing it. It was really my intention from the very beginning to give Wesker a fake death scene, because I was a little disappointed that they killed him off in the game (or did they?), so the previous chapter really was meant to end abruptly. Also, for those who wanted something that followed the plot of RE5 more, I tried to follow it as close as I could, especially since I started writing this even before the game was released, so I didn't really know what it was about save for the spoilers I got. Also, even if I did know what the game was about before I came up with the story, I probably wouldn't have followed it completely, because I think Jill deserved to have a piece of Wesker, especially after all the crap he made her go through.

I don't think I'll be writing stories as long as this any time soon since I can't think of a good plot to follow right now, but I do have some one-shots in mind, I'll try to write them up soon. If you want to suggest stories, I'm welcome to them.:)

Anyway, R&R again, please. Thanks for reading!


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